EU countries agree on technical elements of Digital Green Certificate

Flags of the EU fly in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, June 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

"We are on track towards our goal of having the certificate in place by June -- to enable Europeans to travel safely this summer with minimum restrictions," said Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice.

BRUSSELS, April 22 (Xinhua) -- European Union (EU) members states' representatives have agreed on the technical specifications for the implementation of the Digital Green Certificate, the European Commission said in a press release on Thursday.

The Commission proposed the creation of the certificate last month, in a bid to ease COVID-19 related travel and movement restrictions for people who can prove that they have either been vaccinated, developed natural immunity, or received a negative test result.

The agreed technical specifications cover data structure and encoding mechanisms, including the QR code, which will ensure that all certificates, whether digital or on paper, can be read and verified across the EU.

Passengers walk in the departure hall at the Brussels Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, April 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

The guidelines also describe the EU gateway which will allow the sharing of electronic signature keys so that the authenticity of the certificates can be verified anywhere in the bloc.

Describing it as a "further crucial step," the Commission encouraged the member states to deploy the needed technical solutions at a national level to ensure the rollout of the unified system by June.

"We are on track towards our goal of having the certificate in place by June -- to enable Europeans to travel safely this summer with minimum restrictions," said Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice.

Vueling Airlines flight prepares for landing at the Brussels Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, April 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)