EU COVID-19 Certificate ‘a ticket to normality’

Fine Gael’s Colm Markey has said the proposed EU COVID-19 Certificate is a major step towards normality, which will save Irish jobs and reunite families.

The Midlands-North-West MEP has confirmed he will be voting in favour of the plans in the European Parliament this week (Wednesday) and questioned why two of his constituency colleagues are opposed to moves to re-open society.

He said, “The certificate is simply proof of a person’s status and will show whether they’ve been vaccinated, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID. The cert is being blamed in some quarters for the restrictions already in place. If anything, it will make travel in the EU more straightforward.

I believe it offers us a path back to normal life and look forward to it being introduced in Ireland once it is safe to do so. With vaccinations ramping up, I am confident we can enjoy the benefits in the not too distant future. It’s crucial that the vote is passed in Parliament this week so that Europe can begin to re-open this summer. Irish jobs depend on it.”

Colm Markey called on MEPs from other parties to spell out why they are opposed to the EU COVID-19 Certificate.

“Last month, my Midlands-North-West constituency colleagues from outside the Fine Gael party voted against accelerating the approval of the certs. I would ask them to explain if they will vote no again this month and why. Do they want to keep important sectors closed and the country cut off indefinitely? It’s time for an explanation.”

In conclusion, Colm Markey warned about the level of disinformation appearing online in relation to the cert.

“I have received almost 6,000 emails about the EU COVID-19 Green Certificate. Many of them seem to part of a concerted campaign, with the same template in each correspondence. In addition, some of the emails originate from outside the European Union. I have listened carefully to those who have raised legitimate concerns but I want to make it clear that we have to consider people’s need to be protected alongside people’s right to travel.”