IATA Expresses Support For EU-Wide Vaccine Passport - Statement

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement on Tuesday that it supports an initiative to implement a single digital vaccine passport across Europe

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2021) The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement on Tuesday that it supports an initiative to implement a single digital vaccine passport across Europe.

The idea to use a standardized certificate showing that a person has been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus was put forward last week by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The idea is supported European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and is expected to be discussed by the EU leaders during a virtual summit on Thursday.

"Prime Minister Mitsotakis' initiative should be urgently adopted by the Commission and all member states.

Vaccination is a fundamental key to safely reopening borders and stimulating economic recovery. A pan-European mutually recognized vaccination certificate would be an important step towards giving governments the confidence to safely open their borders, and passengers the confidence to fly without the barrier of quarantine," IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said.

In late December, the European Union countries began mass vaccination of their citizens with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with frontline health workers and people from risk groups listed as a top priority. According to Bloomberg, the EU has administered over 5.7 million doses of the vaccine during that time.