The EU states want to make cross-border travel more pleasant again.

To this end, the representatives of the member states came out in favor of a list of 16 rapid antigen tests, the results of which should apply in all countries. In addition, there has recently been agreement on which data should be included in the test results in the future, as the EU Commission announced today. These would be made available both in the language of the country where the smear was taken and in English. 

The European Union is responding to the request of a number of airlines and airports, which had requested such uniform recognition. Vienna Airport has also advocated this several times in the recent past. Because a negative rapid test result currently only entitles a quarantine-free entry in a few exceptional cases. Of course, that inhibits demand. At the end of October, VIE started a in cooperation with Austrian Airlines Trial phase with Covid-19 rapid tests before selected flights. 

The following rapid tests are now recognized throughout the EU:

• Panbio ™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test, Abbott Rapid Diagnostics
• AMP Rapid Test SARS-CoV-2 Ag, AMEDA Labordiagnostik GmbH
• BD Veritor System for Rapid Detection os SARS-CoV-2, Becton Dickinson
• SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test Kit (Colloidal Gold immunochromatography), Beijing Lepu Medical Technology
• BIOSYNEX COVID-19 Ag BSS, BIOSYNEX SWISS SA
• CerTest SARS-CoV-2 CARD TEST, CerTest Biotect SL
• Clungene COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test Kit, Hangzhou Clongene Biotech
• Coronavirus Ag Rapid Test Cassette (Swab), Healgen Scientific Limited
• LumiraDx SARS-CoV-2 Ag test, LumiraDX UK LTd
• NADAL COVID -19 Ag test, nal from minden GmbH
• Sofia 2 SARS Antigen FIA, Quidel Corporation
• STANDARD F COVID-19 Ag FIA, SD BIOSENSOR, Inc.
• STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Test, SD BIOSENSOR, Inc.
• CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test, Siemens Healthineers
• Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test card, Xiamen Boson Biotech Co
• Coronavirus Ag Rapid Test Cassette (Swab), Zhejiang Orient Gene Biotech Co., Ltd

Rapid tests are crucial to monitor and slow down the spread of the coronavirus, said EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. In a few minutes, these show whether there is an infection with the coronavirus. Overall, however, they are considered less reliable than the already recognized PCR method. Nevertheless, rapid tests are ideally suited to find asymptomatic "super spreaders" and prevent further infections. Since the beginning of the pandemic, air traffic has been sinking unparalleled, and the agreement reached at EU level gives the industry hope again. In Austria offer more than 700 pharmacies free rapid antigen tests.