According to the data provided by DG HR in the latest information meeting on 11 June 2021 and on intranet updates [1]: the EU Digital Covid Certificate [2] will become available with legal effects in all EU Member States as of 1 July 2021, although some might start issuing it earlier: for example [3], Luxembourg [4] started issuing it on 14 June, Belgium on 16 June [1] and Italy [5] from the end of June. Some travel rules will also change as of 1 July 2021 (but no exemption from PCR tests [6]). There’s an online information session from the medical services together with DG SANTE on Tuesday 22 June lunchtime via EULearn [7].
Meanwhile, certificates attesting the two jabs received are already available in many places as a placeholder until the digital certificate becomes available. [2]
How is vaccination [8] going? (though remember that this is a national competence)
Luxembourg: the campaign is currently in Phase 6 of 6 [9] (16 years and upwards: with two sessions to vaccinate homeless people [10] already done: we’re not vaccinated until we’re all vaccinated).
Italy: issues appear to be mostly solved and they are now vaccinating [11] everyone over 12 years [12] of age however, we still have information about colleagues outside the Varese area who either cannot get vaccinated (they are not covered by the IT system and are not in the ad hoc procedure) or fear they might not be able to get their vaccination certificate [5]. As ever, let us know [13] if you encounter any problems.
Representations: issues are being addressed and the EEAS intranet [14] explains what the options are for staff.
Brussels: vaccination is exceptionally being carried out by the Commission medical service. It will open soon to people under 30 years old, always in full compliance with the rules set out by the Belgian authorities.
As a whole, around half of Commission staff have been vaccinated by the medical service, while a number of colleague were vaccinated elsewhere (most probably received their jabs from the national system). The Commission vaccine centre expects to have vaccinate almost all staff who want to be vaccinated by mid-July.
The Commission has already started recalling those who refused the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccination – more than 10000 people – to offer Pfizer instead, and around 1000 have subsequently made an appointment.
We raised several issues based on your feedback
- Covid certificate: a solution is not yet available for those who got one jab in Commission premises and the other one elsewhere. If you are in this situation, please let us know [13]!
- 10 days of teleworking from abroad [3] available this year, we reiterated our request to make it possible to join them with any kind of leave (especially parental leave) and not just annual leave as set out in the current rules [15] [4]. DG HR replied once again that no such changes are planned as the total amount of accumulated annual leave is quite high. However, we remain convinced that this is not the case for everybody, and that there is no reason to apply such restrictive rules. We have also raised the related issue elsewhere of whether these 10 days can be used beyond the end of the year.
- We also asked DH HR to make a pulse survey on the vaccination campaign, covering 1) the possible side effects – such as fever, pains, nausea etc. – that might not always be reported to the medical service [5], and 2) psychological aspects: e.g. do colleagues feel safe going back to the office? What about those who will be in an open space or hot-desking setting, do they feel more anxious about getting the infection at work? How many fear being in areas with a high concentration of people, such as canteens, cafeterias or large meetings? Are colleagues worried about trips (‘missions’), especially to 3rd countries? Incidentally, to any of you who feel isolated, worried or overloaded [16]: there is help [17] and support [18] available: please don’t suffer in silence!
And it’s important to say a big thank you [19] to all staff at the Commission medical centres for the dedicated hard work in these COVID times!
Return to the office and IT kit for home
The ceiling [1] of maximum presence in the office was raised to 20% on 9 June, but the return is still by choice. It is planned to increase to 30% in July and 50% in September. [6] Here’s a dynamic list [20] of buildings showing which have seating for lunch and those with a functioning canteen.
IT kit for home: the new system went live 1 June: check whether you are eligible for an IT package [21] (any combination of: screen, keyboard, mouse, docking station (provides additional USB ports), webcam (means you can close your laptop)). Note you can still purchase a chair and/or screen [22] and note that My IT Support [23] allows you to request a headset for videoconferences (item: ‘Request telephony peripherals (Skype for Business)’).
If you have any comments or questions, or you wish to share your experience with the vaccination campaign or returning to the office, please do contact us [13] or add a comment below!
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[1] Regarding the specific issues of those staff in Belgium unable to authenticate on www.masante.be [24] an authentication code is to be requested from 15 June via Sysper (see Point C. I have a special identity card [25]) allowing access to Covid certificate and many more public service websites and platforms. Although we have seen on My IntraComm that this is not quite functioning as planned just yet: give it a go and let us know [13]! For those vaccinated at Commission premises certificates will be issued by the Commission medical service.
[2] Little inconsistencies: Luxembourg is more than happy to also mark the yellow World Health Organization (WHO) yellow vaccination card [26], while Ispra appears to be reluctant to do so.
[3] Update 08.07.2021: New SYSPER feature to request teleworking outside the place of employment [27]
[4] Update 03.09.2021 We asked HR whether the 10 days of teleworking can be combined with the end of year days and they stated that they are undecided. So the situation remains as it was 22.06.2021 from Central Staff Committee:
‘Following the recent publication of the revised guidelines on Teleworking (and namely on Telework from abroad) taking effect from 9 June, we would like to share with you some precisions that we have received from the corporate services in order to ensure harmonised approach across the DGs as well as an update of the template to be completed by your managers. Please, disregard this message if you have received this info already directly.
As you have been informed, since 9 June telework from abroad (TWA) is possible if combined with the 5 days of annual leave or credit time [28]. This means in practice the following:
• TWA and annual leave or time credit (min. 5 days) can be mixed and also split in half days.
• In case of Part time work, the minimum number of annual leaves /time credit needed is reduced proportionally, i.e. in case of a 80% part time, minimum of 32 hours (4 days) of AL/TC are needed,
in case of 60% it is 24 hours (3 days), etc.
• TWA can also be combined with parental leave as long as there are also min 5 days of annual leave/credit time taken in total around the period. The possibility includes 1/2 annual leave + 1/2 parental leave.
• As a reminder, the TWA should be agreed “in the interest of the service” as it is not a right. And in principal no report of more than 12 days of annual leave should be allowed at the end of the year for staff benefitting from TWA.
We have been informed that the module in Sysper to be able to register those days should be available by the end of the month, but we do not have more information on it.’ [Bold is not present in original]
[5] Please note that these are already reported and shared at EU level via the European Medicines Agency [29] but it is possible that less dramatic side effects or those that happen long after are less likely to be reported.
[6] Update 25.6.2021 Working time and hybrid working decision [30] puts in writing the proposed abolition of core time in favour of a ‘connection bandwidth’. The obvious worry is that this then becomes the time where a response is expected, we have stated this to HR.
‘Article 4 – Daily working hours
1. Staff have the flexibility to choose how to spread their time daily, but this should be agreed with the line manager depending on the needs of the service. Staff should work mainly between 8:00 and 19:00.’