Amid Serum Institute of India chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla on Wednesday stating that his company has applied for approval for Covishield in the European Union, the Centre earlier today requested all the 27 nations of the EU to individually consider allowing Indians who have taken Covishield and Covaxin vaccines to travel to Europe.
Sources told PTI, that India has requested the EU member nations to accept the vaccination certificate issued through the CoWIN portal.
This development follows the EU stating that its Digital COVID certificate or 'Green Pass' will be mandatory for everyone to travel to European countries and the document is likely to serve as proof that a person is vaccinated against Covid-19.
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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is yet to authorise Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield under its Green Pass framework.
Meanwhile, EU member states have the flexibility to also accept vaccines that have been authorised at the national level or by the World Health Organisation.
"We have requested EU member states to individually consider extending similar exemption to those persons who have taken COVID-19 vaccines in India, that is Covishield and Covaxin, and accept the vaccination certificate issued through the CoWIN portal," said a source.
The sources said the genuineness of such vaccination certification can be authenticated on the CoWIN portal.
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"We have also conveyed to EU member states that India will institute a reciprocal policy for recognition of the EU Digital Covid Certificate," the source said.
"Upon notification of Covishield and Covaxin for inclusion in the EU Digital Covid Certificate and recognition of Indian CoWIN vaccination certificates, Indian health authorities would reciprocally exempt the EU member state concerned for exemption from the mandatory quarantine of all those persons carrying EU digital COVID certificate," the source said.
There have been apprehensions in India that people who took Covishield and Covaxin jabs are unlikely to be eligible to travel to the European Union member states under its 'Green Pass' scheme.
The EU Digital COVID certificate or 'Green Pass' will be mandatory to travel to European countries and the document will serve as proof that a person is vaccinated against COVID-19.
An EU official on Tuesday said individual member states of the European Union will have the option to accept vaccines authorised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) like Covishield for obtaining the bloc's digital COVID certificate.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday took up the issue of inclusion of Covishield in the EU digital Covid certificate scheme during a meeting with Josep Borrell Fontelles, the High Representative of the European Union.
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The meeting took place on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Italy.
(With PTI inputs)
