Filenews 22 April 2021
One month after the Commission's proposal for a digital green certificate, the representatives of the Member States in the eHealth network agreed on guidelines describing the main technical specifications for the implementation of the system. This is a decisive step in creating the necessary infrastructure at EU level. At the same time, Member States are encouraged to quickly develop the necessary technical solutions at national level. It is extremely important that work on technical implementation proceeds, in parallel with the ongoing legislative process, to ensure the availability of digital green certificates across the EU by the end of June 2021.
The agreed technical specifications cover the structure of the data and encoding mechanisms, including the QR code, to ensure that all certificates, whether in digital or paper form, can be read and verified throughout the EU. The guidelines also describe the EU portal, which will be set up by the Commission and will allow the exchange of electronic signature keys so that the authenticity of digital green certificates can be verified across the EU. No personal data of the holders of the certificate will be transmitted through the portal, as this is not necessary for verification. Finally, the guidelines describe reference applications for digital green certificate software; a reference application for certificate verification; and a mobile wallet application model for storing them from citizens. While it is up to the Member States to set up these systems at national level, reference applications will help to accelerate the development of these systems, as Member States will be able to rely on and exploit them.
Stella Kyriakidou, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: "This is an important step towards making digital green certificates a reality for citizens by the summer. As vaccinations continue at an increasing rate across the EU, we are working relentlessly with member states, as we are committed to building this infrastructure within an ambitious timetable. These certificates are vital to help Member States fight the pandemic, while allowing citizens to exercise their right to free movement in a coordinated and safe manner. In order for digital green certificates to be available in June, technical implementation must proceed in parallel with the legislative process. The next step from a technical point of view is now the creation of national infrastructures, the development of national solutions for the issue, verification and storage of digital green certificates and the creation of the EU portal. Following a trial phase in May, the EU portal will be ready in June for Member States to connect.
