On The Agenda: Covid-19, the way out of the pandemic (?)

The EU has recently announced its plan to implement a new digital “vaccine passport”, which would allow people to travel more freely starting with the summer of 2021. The new Digital Green Certificates, will allow EU citizens to show that they have either (i) been vaccinated with an EMA-approved vaccine; or (ii) received a negative test result; or (iii) recently recovered from Covid-19. While this still remains to be implemented and we cannot know for sure how the system will work on the ground, there are already many who have voices their support or concern for this new method of getting over the pandemic. Nevertheless, most people still agree that the only way out is through mass vaccination and through respecting social distancing rules.  

Is this new EU initiative going to help EU citizens and businesses overcome the burdens of the lockdown measures and enjoy a “traditional” summer? Will these “vaccine passports” lead to the creation of several tiers of citizens? Given the delays and the uncertainties surrounding several vaccines, is this initiative the best way forward? As events unfold, ELF is offering an open space to assess new developments and keep the discussion going.

Speakers include:
Dr Elena Petelos, Vice-President for Health Technology Assessment, European Public Health Association & Lecturer in Evidence-Based Medicine and Evidence-Informed Policy, University of Crete
Ben Butters, CEO, EUROCHAMBRES

Moderated by Sam Morgan, EU Affairs reporter