US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday pleaded for the creation of a European-wide vaccination passport to boost cross-border air traffic which has particularly suffered from the effects of the COVID crisis- 19.
Greece has already developed its own health certificate to prove that one has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
In a letter addressed to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Kyriakos Mitsotakis proposes to extend this program to all 27 countries of the Union. The certificate could then be used during boarding, regardless of the mode of transport.
“Even if we are not going to make vaccination compulsory or make it a prerequisite for travel, those vaccinated should be free to travel,” wrote the Greek Prime Minister in his letter.
“(It is) urgent to adopt a common agreement on how a vaccination certificate should be structured so that it is accepted in all member states,” he continues.
For Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the difficulty, last year, of reaching an agreement on the passenger tracking forms (PLF), which make it possible to follow the movements of people returning from an area considered to be at health risk, underlines the need for ” involvement of the EU at a high level to move issues forward.
If the member states of the bloc come to a common formula, “we can then take the issue forward in the competent international bodies, thus contributing to the restoration of mobility on a global scale”, the letter said.
“For countries like Greece, which depend on tourism, it is imperative that this problem be resolved before the summer season”, insists the Greek Prime Minister.
Tourism represents a fifth of the Greek gross domestic product.
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