If an EU-wide vaccination certificate for coronaviruses is introduced at EU level, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently proposed in a letter to the European Commission, this is not a requirement for tourists to enter Greece, Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis said on Thursday.

“Under no circumstances will it be a condition for anyone to travel to our country,” he told the private broadcaster Skai during a discussion about the government’s preparations for this year’s summer season.

Theoharis said the prime minister’s proposal was intended to “rock the boat” so that the European Union could coordinate on the issue. He also said the vaccination certificate and rapid antigen tests are quick, cheap and effective tools for reopening tourism.

The original idea, he went on, was to test those who were not vaccinated when entering Greece and let those with the certificate pass freely to avoid “wasting resources”.
However, all decisions are made after consultations with the committee of experts who advise the government on the coronavirus.

Mitsotakis called on the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to demand the introduction of a coronavirus vaccination certificate, which, according to a report in Politico on Tuesday, would facilitate travel between member states in the block.

“There is an urgent need to develop a common understanding of how a vaccination record should be structured so that it is accepted in all Member States,” he said, hoping to raise the issue at an EU summit on January 21 can.