A million Europeans already have EU Covid certificate

A photo shows a QR code scanner and a Covid certificate in the police station at the Bregana border, Croatia

More than one million Europeans have received the new EU Covid health certificate being rolled out to unlock travel within the bloc, the European Commission said on Tuesday. EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders announced the figure to the European Parliament ahead of a vote to enshrine the document in law in time for the continent's all-important summer tourism season. It is expected to be passed by a big majority after agreement between MEPs and the EU's 27 member states on details, with the vote result known early on Wednesday. The certificate -- showing the bearer's immunity to Covid-19 either through vaccination or previous infection, or their negative test status -- is to be used for intra-EU travel from July 1, obviating the need for quarantine or further testing for travellers.