1 Amendments of Sylvie GUILLAUME related to 2022/0031(COD)
Amendment 32 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) As a result, it cannot be excluded that Member States continue to require Union citizens exercising their right to free movement to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination, test or recovery beyond 30 June 2022, the date when Regulation (EU) 2021/953 is set to expire. It is thus important to avoid that, in the event that certain restrictions to free movement based on public health are still in place after 30 June 2022, Union citizens and their family members are deprived of the possibility to make use of their EU Digital COVID Certificates, which are an effective, secure and privacy-preserving way of proving one’s COVID-19 status. At the same time, given that any restrictions to the free movement of persons within the Union put in place to limit the spread of SARS-CoV- 2, including the requirement to present EU Digital COVID Certificates, should be lifted as soon as the epidemiological situation allows, the extension of the application of Regulation (EU) 2021/953 should be limited to 12 months. In addition, the extension of that Regulation should not be understood as requiring Member States, in particular those that lift domestic public health measures, to maintain or impose free movement restrictions. Any need for Member States to verify EU Digital COVID certificates should not provide a justification for the temporary reintroduction of controls at internal borders. The power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union delegated to the Commission pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2021/953 should be equally extended. It is necessary to ensure that the EU Digital COVID Certificate system can adapt to scientific progress in containing the COVID-19 pandemic.