EU leaders at standoff over 'vaccine passport' as COVID-19 cases continue to soar

Leaders from the European Union (EU) convened a meeting via video conference on February 25 to thrash out joint approaches to the COVID-19 crisis. The topics of discussion included unilateral border closures and restrictions, the slow pace of the EU's vaccine rollout and the issue of so-called 'vaccine passports'. Since the emergence of a COVID-19 outbreak, the continent has recorded over 33,719,561 cases and 805,086 fatalities and despite a robust vaccination drive, the infection rate is still soaring high.

Bloc divided

The demand for EU wide vaccine passports or certificates was supported by tourist-reliant southern European nations such as Greece and Spain. The idea was also backed by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who said it would enable a restart to free travel in Europe and could help "secure and protect" struggling sectors like the arts, sports and gastronomy. However, the ideas received some opposition from states like France and Germany, which have said that it would create a de facto vaccination obligation and could prove discriminatory.

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As per a report by the Associated Press, the British authorities, earlier this month, said that they were looking to introduce a system that would allow vaccinated individuals to travel more freely internationally. In addition to introducing it domestically, they said that they would now use their G7 presidency to work with other nations to introduce “a clear international framework with standards that provide consistency for passengers and industry alike.” The UK is currently presiding over the seven-member group of developed nations. 

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a review into the matter saying that there were “deep and complex issues”. Highlighting that there might be medical reasons or distrust towards the vaccine shot behind the person not taking vaccines, he said they did not need to thrash it out. We can’t be discriminatory against people who for whatever reason can’t have the vaccine,” he said. 

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