Europe wants coronavirus ‘vaccine certificates’ as soon as possible. But how will they work and which countries would sign up?

The European Union is pushing to introduce ‘vaccine certificates’ as soon as possible, allowing its citizens to freely travel within the 27-nation bloc again.

Last week EU Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said the certificates, also referred to as immunity passports, could “open the door to other uses to help lift restrictions”.

Vaccinations have already started rolling out across the EU, with each member differing in their inoculation rates.

But while the idea of vaccine certificates has been proposed by tourism-dependent countries like Greece and Portugal, it has come under fire from privacy advocates.

Public health experts have also raised concerns, because vaccinated people may still spread the virus.

Here’s what we know…