European Union may implement vaccine passports in the next few months

The European Union over the next several months will likely implement a vaccine passport system in which individuals may be required to confirm their COVID vaccination status while traveling throughout the union’s member states.

During a virtual EU summit this week, “everyone agreed that we need a digital vaccination certificate,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

The rule, she argued, would “not mean that only those who have a vaccination passport are allowed to travel,” leaving uncertain how enforcement of such a policy would be played out. 

Not everyone agreed enthusiastically with the proposal. Marc Botenga, a Belgian Member of European Parliament, told Deutsche Welle that such a policy could function as a “slippery slope.”