Indonesian Citizens Flying To 27 Countries In The European Union Can Still Use PeduliProtect

JAKARTA - The European Union has authorized the use of the PeduliLindung application in its territory starting May 11, 2022.

The ratification was carried out through an implementation decision which contained an acknowledgment of equality of vaccination certificates issued by Indonesia, according to a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels received in Jakarta, Thursday 12 May.

Through the implementation of the equalization, the QR code in the PeduliLindung application can also be read in 27 member countries of the European Union. So if an Indonesian citizen visits the European Union, there is no need to register the QR Code separately.

With this mutual recognition, the QR Code in the EU system can also be read in Indonesia so that EU citizens traveling to Indonesia no longer need to download the PeduliLindung application, said the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels.

The approval, according to the Indonesian Embassy, signifies the European Union's recognition of the effectiveness of Indonesia's vaccination certificate system.

In this interoperability effort, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health have gone through a fairly long process with the European Union's Covid Digital Certificate Committee, which jointly oversees the technical equivalence and legal aspects.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union Andri Hadi said that this act of mutual recognition is a tangible form of strengthening cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Indonesia and shows the importance of Indonesia's position for the EU.

"Mutual recognition of vaccination certificates is expected to contribute to increasing the interest of European tourists who will visit Indonesia in the coming holiday season," Ambassador Andri Hadi said as quoted by Antara.

Currently, most European countries have relaxed their restrictions gradually. However, the vaccination certificate system remains an important tool to support mobility within the EU.

This was also emphasized by the Commissioner for Justice of the European Union, Didier Reynders.

Reynders said that Indonesia had joined the European Union's Covid Digital Certificate system which was connected to 40 other countries and of course 27 European Union member countries.

"This is an important momentum ahead of the upcoming summer holidays," he said.

Since November 2021, Indonesia has been included in the white list of the European Union, which means that Indonesian citizens can travel to the European Union.

The system of mutual recognition of vaccination certificates is expected to make it easier for Indonesian citizens visiting the European Union to travel and vice versa for European Union citizens traveling to Indonesia.