Malta one in just four EU countries to use passenger locator form during COVID

Malta was among just four out of the 27 EU states to use the EU-developed passenger locator digital form during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a European Court of Auditors report.

The passenger locator forms were only used by Italy, Malta, Slovenia and France and this was because, by the time they were launched in May 2021, some countries had already developed their own solutions and others were concerned about data protection matters.

The limited use meant that the forms did not have the intended impact, according to an ECA report that looked into the efficiency of four IT tools developed by the European Commission to facilitate safe travel during the coronavirus pandemic.

Use of EU tools in member states. SOURCE: ECA

Only one tool – the COVID Digital Certificate – was used by all member states and was effective in facilitating travel during the pandemic. The impact of other EU tools, however, was modest, the report found.

Following the detection of the first COVID-19 cases in the EU in March 2020, member states started to impose travel bans and other restrictions on the free movement of citizens. To facilitate travel and to help trace COVID-19 cases, the EU Commission...