GBTA Supports the European Commission’s Proposal to Introduce a Common, Inter-Operable and Mutually-Recognised Digital Green Certificate

To Kickstart a Return to Business Travel

Brussels, (March 17, 2021) – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the world’s largest business travel association – supports the European Commission’s proposal to introduce a Digital Green Certificate that is inter-operable and consistent across Members States. The certificate will verify that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has recovered from the virus, or has a negative test result, to enable the safe and swift restart of business travel in the EU.

“We are already witnessing some European countries opening up their borders with differing entry requirements and timelines. GBTA is calling for a European-wide solution to facilitate a consistent plan and avoid a fragmented approach across the 27 member countries. An EU-wide recognised certificate proposed by the European Commission will help to restart travel after a devastating year for the business travel industry, valued at $392 billion in Europe and $1.43 trillion globally in 2019. The need for a quick agreement and speedy, uniform implementation, based on data-driven decisions is crucial to the success of this proposal,” commented Catherine Logan, Regional VP Europe, GBTA.

CONTACT:               

Nikki Stimson (EMEA), +44(0) 7764 618199, nstimson@gbta.org

About the Global Business Travel Association

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 9,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA delivers world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives lasting business growth, visit www.gbta.org.