Falsification of PCR certificates and European vaccination card

Question for written answer  E-000639/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Izaskun Bilbao Barandica (Renew)

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) issued a warning on 1 February that various criminal organisations have started up in a new ‘line of business’. The increasing number of Member States requiring a certificate proving a negative PCR test before travelling has given rise to various practices centred around either ‘fabricating’ false negative certificates, or altering the dates of genuine tests to provide travellers with fraudulent safe-conducts. With the possible introduction of a European vaccination card under consideration, which could be another document that would create the right conditions for the gradual lifting of restrictions on movement, and with electronic national identity documents and security and encryption techniques also becoming more widespread, preventive measures should be planned now to ensure that these fraudulent practices do not jeopardise the safety and security provided by documents of this kind.

• 1.How big is the chain of fake documents that gave rise to Europol’s warning?
• 2.What measures are being taken to prevent and stamp out these practices?
• 3.Could a European vaccination register reduce the risk of falsification?