Member States Agree on Digital Green Certificate Technical Specifications – One Step Closer to Its Implementation
Member States representatives have agreed on the guidelines regarding the technical requirements for the implementation of a Digital Green Certificate, following the European Commission’s legislative proposal adopted on March 17.
In a press release issued by the European Commission, it was pointed out that this is an essential step for the establishment of the needed infrastructure throughout the European Union countries, which would allow free movement of citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Today is a key milestone for setting up the Digital Green Certificate’s infrastructure at EU level. These guidelines, adopted unanimously by national experts, show Member States’ commitment and readiness and will provide them with the specifications necessary for a quick implementation,” Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said.
It was further pointed out that it is of prime importance to assist the work on the technical implementation alongside the ongoing legislative process in order to make sure that the Digital Green Certificates will be rolled out across the EU by June 2021.
The Commission revealed that the agreed technical specifications cover data structure and encoding mechanisms, including a QR code that will ensure that all certificates, whether on paper or in digital form, can be verified across the EU.
Furthermore, the guidelines set up by the Commission will also allow sharing key features of the electronic signature so that the Digital Green Certificates’ authenticity can be verified quickly and more precisely.
Moreover, the personal data of the certificate holders will not go through the gateway since they do not need to be confirmed, AtoZSerwisPlus.pl reports.
Additionally, the guidelines outline reference implementations for software in order to issue Digital Green Certificates. The references are as follows:
- A reference app used to verify the certificates
- A template for a wallet app for citizens to be able to store them
The Member States will be responsible for setting up the systems at the national level. However, the reference implementations, which will be free to access and available by the second half of May, will help speed up the implementation.
“Digital Green Certificates are crucial to assist the Member States in the fight against the pandemic while allowing citizens to exercise their free movement rights in a coordinated and safe manner,” Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides stated.
The next step regarding the technical specifications is setting up national infrastructure, launching national solutions for issuing, verifying, and storing the Digital Green Certificates, and establishing the EU gateway.
After the piloting stage that is to happen in May, the EU gateway is expected to be ready in June for the Member States to join. A significant number of Member States have already shown interest in participating in the pilot program.
The Commission will provide financial and technical support to all Member States that are to join the gateway.
Previously, the Council of the European Union agreed to establish the Digital Green Certificate proposed by the EU Commission in order to enable free and safe movement in the bloc.
