Portugal is looking to lead that way in reinitiating travel within Europe, Euractiv reports.
Portugal currently holds the European Union Council Presidency, and it’s through this role that the country will propose “short, medium, and long term” measures to restart travel in the EU, Pedro Siza Vieria, Portugal’s minister of economy and digital transition, said at a recent informal meeting of ministers, according to Euractiv.
Rita Marques, Portugal’s secretary of tourism, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of developing ideas to support the tourism sector, which has been the most hard hit by restrictive measures.
And a proposal to provide certificates for people with immunity, a “digital green pass,” so they may travel within the EU, is gaining consensus among EU member states, reports Bloomberg.
In an interview to the news outlet, Marques said, “With the vaccine roll-out and a compromise by the EU Commission for a digital green pass, we have all the conditions for this summer to be a little more peaceful than 2020.”
The assistant health secretary of state, António Lacerda Sales, however, stressed that this “covid passport”… “has to be very well studied and considered,” for “legal, data protection and also equity reasons,” as reported by Observador.
