By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The European Union is rolling out a European Vaccination Card, sidelining critics who fear it will lead to more central government control over people’s personal lives and decisions.
The EU’s executive European Commission backs the European Vaccination Beyond COVID-19 (EUVABECO) project, which coordinates preparations for the card.
EU member states “Latvia, Greece, Belgium, Germany, and Portugal will pilot the new tool from September,” EUVABECO said in remarks seen by Worthy News.
“The card aims to empower individuals by consolidating all their vaccination data in one easily accessible location. It will be available in various formats, including printed cards, mailed copies, and digital versions for smartphones,” it added.
EUVABECO cited its “experts” saying that a “European Vaccination Card will enable informed vaccination.”
It said the card would enable cross-border transfers of vaccination data and records by Europeans who choose to do so.
The EUVABECO said the tool was needed as “Europe transitions from emergency measures to long-term COVID-19 management” following the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘CRITICAL OPPORTUNITY’
“There is a critical opportunity to strengthen resilience and increase preparedness for future health threats” by “initiating pilot projects to develop and test implementation plans for tools that support both routine and crisis vaccination practices.”
The EUVABECO noted that “Despite decades of awareness, zoonotic diseases – those transmitted from animals to humans – continue to pose a significant threat to global health. In the face of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, our global lack of preparedness for such outbreaks became starkly apparent.”
However, a temporary European vaccination passport during the COVID crisis already led to massive protests.
The documents were needed to travel across borders or to enter venues ranging from restaurants, bars, and sports clubs to theaters and other public venues.
“Certain rights can be restricted in certain circumstances, but only to the extent that it is absolutely necessary and proportionate to achieve a legitimate aim,” Dr. Orsolya Reich, senior advocacy officer at Civil Liberties Union for Europe, which monitors human rights across Europe. “From a human rights perspective, even statutory vaccination can be an infringement that is justified by the rights of others.”
However, critics are concerned that the European Vaccination Card could eventually become another tool for Brussels to force vaccination policies upon the European population.
European leaders have denied such plans but say they want to ensure Europeans have the tools to make “informed” decisions about their health.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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