The Commission’s coronavirus response measures in key areas:

INCREASED AND EFFECTIVE TESTING CAPACITY
• Issuing recommendations on well-targeted testing strategies, including the use of rapid antigen tests
• Purchasing rapid tests (budget of €100 million)
• Promoting EU-wide mutual recognition of tests and acceptance of results
• Evaluating national testing strategies

IMPROVED INFORMATION FLOW FOR BETTER DECISION-MAKING
• Sharing more data on testing, contact tracing and public health system capacity on a
platform run by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to
spot surges in infection rate, gaps in capacity and improve risk assessment
• Facilitating discussion at EU level among epidemiologists and other expert
governmental advisers, to coordinate national approaches

CONTACT TRACING APPS
• Supporting Member States in connecting national tracing apps to the EU
interoperability gateway to enable them to ‘talk to each other’ across borders

VACCINATION STRATEGIES
• Reviewing and monitoring national vaccination plans to ensure all countries
are ready for roll-out
• Monitoring the safety, effectiveness, and impact of vaccination once a
vaccine is authorised and available

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TO CITIZENS
• Requiring Member States to relaunch communication campaigns
adapted to the current situation
• Requiring public health authorities to tackle vaccination-related
misinformation and disinformation
• Addressing citizens’ ‘COVID-19 fatigue’

SECURING ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES
• Procuring vaccination supplies and other medical equipment
• Prolonging current waiver on customs duties and VAT for protective and medical
equipment from non-EU countries until April 2021
• Offering VAT relief for COVID-19 vaccines and testing kits

TRAVEL
• Developing a common testing protocol, starting with air travel
• Preparing a common EU approach to quarantine rules
• Offering EU guidance on travellers to be exempted from the temporary non-essential travel restrictions
• EU digital Passenger Locator Form
• Ensuring that all passengers who need to travel, for work and family related reasons, are able to do so
• Launching Re-Open EU mobile app to keep citizens informed of health and travel measures across the EU

GREEN LANES
• Extending green lanes for smooth cross-border supply of goods from road to rail, air, and water crossing points
• Ensuring that private and professional drivers can transit through a country via TEN-T transit corridors along

the TEN-T network
• Helping transport staff to cross borders to exercise their essential functions, including arrangements for
seafarers