Most EU measures have yielded only limited results for travel and the detection of corona infections. This is the conclusion of a report by the European Court of Auditors. The reason is that many states would have made little or no use of it. Only the Covid certificate, issued all over Europe, was an effective tool because it was widely used.
Reminder: The Covid certificate was used to prove a corona vaccination, a test or a survived infection. During the travel restrictions, it ensured that, for example, a vaccination certificate from Austria could be recognized on a mobile phone at the border with France or in a restaurant in Italy. According to auditors, this tool has been used across Europe. Travel restrictions were standardized after the introduction of the digital proof and later completely lifted for certificate holders, they say in a report.
Digital travel form hardly used
However, with a corona infection, it was difficult to trace contacts. The corresponding digital travel form has only been used in four EU countries, the vast majority of the nearly 27 million forms were issued in Italy. A platform for exchanging data and a service for data matching also find little support. Contact tracing apps such as the Corona-Warn-App, on the other hand, have been downloaded in many EU countries. For example, users could report a positive corona test to warn others of a possible risk of infection. 83 percent of this registered data came from Germany.
The Court received EUR 71 million
The auditors welcomed the fact that the European Commission had reacted quickly to travel restrictions in individual countries. This means, for example, that the contact details matching service was operational seven months after the outbreak of the pandemic. The first EU countries imposed travel bans in March 2020. The European Commission made €71 million available to the Court to develop appropriate technical control tools.
In many European countries, entry restrictions and corona rules have now largely been abolished. Also, proof of vaccination or testing is rarely required. The European Court of Auditors, whose staff drafted the report, monitors the revenue and expenditure of the EU institutions. He checks, for example, whether the money is actually used for the intended purpose.
Source: Krone
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