GREECE, 6 OTHERS LAUNCH EU VACCINATION CERTIFICATE SYSTEM

 Associated Press 1 June 2021

© Provided by Associated Press A woman enjoys the sun at Plaka beach on the Aegean island of Naxos, Greece, Friday, May 14, 2021. Greece launched its tourism season Friday amid a competitive scramble across the Mediterranean to lure vacationers emerging from lockdowns. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece and six other European Union member states on Tuesday are introducing a vaccination certificate system, ahead of the rollout of the program across the bloc on July 1.

The other countries are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Croatia, and Poland, according to the European Commission.

Greece has been pressing for the commonly-recognized certificate that will use a QR code with advanced security features, and the idea was originally put forward by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Greece’s digital governance minister, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, said easier travel will open up within the EU as member states adopt the new verification standard.

The new certificate will be available to people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, have a recent negative test result or have recovered from a coronavirus infection.