Lisbon, Mar. 1, 2021 (Lusa) – European tourism ministers on Monday discussed the need to adjust and extend financial instruments for the sector, taking into account short and medium-term needs, said Rita Marques, Portugal's Secretary of State for Tourism.

Rita Marques told Lusa that "we need to ask the commission to adjust and extend the financial instruments that are currently available and have been made available to Member States so that tourism businesses find in these instruments a full response to their specific needs.

She went on to say that "what the Member States are asking for is that these financial instruments may be adjusted and extended over time in order to meet the specific needs of tourism enterprises which are facing major liquidity constraints and which may result in short or medium term solvency problems if it is not possible for all of us, the Member States, to respond in the required manner".

The ministers also discussed "the need to harmonise travel rules, stabilising protocols at the level of tests, whether rapid or not, and at the level of the declaration that must accompany any traveller in order to ensure that they are either vaccinated, immune or have a negative test result".

The European Commission has already announced that it will present this month a legislative proposal to create a free movement digital pass to allow resumption of travel in times of pandemic, proving the vaccination or recovery of citizens.

The information was advanced today by the president of the Community executive, Ursula von der Leyen, who through her Twitter account announced that the European Commission will "present this month a legislative proposal for a digital laissez-passer (free movement pass)".

"The aim is to provide proof that a person has been vaccinated, test results for those who have not yet been able to obtain a vaccine and information on the person's recovery," she specified, thus following up on the intention that has been addressed for several weeks in the European Union.

Ursula von der Leyen also guaranteed that this digital certificate "will respect data protection, security and privacy".

The Tourism ministers also discussed a "third and final conclusion, which resulted in a very broad consensus, which is the need to highlight the contribution that tourism can contribute to the green and digital agenda," said Rita Marques.

The meeting took place today, by videoconference, in an extraordinary meeting promoted by the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union.

ALYN/AYLS // AYLS

Lusa