European Union 'Green Pass' scheme is aimed at facilitating safe free movement during the COVID-19 pandemic within the EU and member states have the option to authorise vaccines approved by the WHO, an official has said.
India-made Covishield, a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, has been excluded from the list of COVID-19 vaccines that are eligible to avail the European Union (EU)'s 'Green Pass'.
"EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate is to facilitate free movement inside the EU. It is not a pre-condition to travel," an EU official told CNBC TV-18.
READ: EU excludes anti-COVID-19 vaccine Covishield from 'Green Pass' list
The official further said that for the purpose of the certificate, individual Member States will have the option to accept vaccinations authorised by the World Health Organization (WHO), including Covishield.
Only four vaccines -- Comirnaty of Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Vaxzervria by AstraZeneca-Oxford and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen -- have been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and only those vaccinated by these vaccines will be given vaccination passports and will be allowed to travel within the EU.
The European Medicine Agency (EMA) has said that that it has not received a request for approval. "EMA will examine any such request when received, as per its procedures," EU official told ANI.
The official also said that EMA doesn't investigate new drugs on its own, unless asked by relevant companies.
According to schengenvisainfo.com - EU's official portal for visa-related information - only the Vaxzervia version of AstraZeneca vaccine - manufactured in the UK and other sites in Europe - is eligible for Green Pass.
Meanwhile, Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the Serum Institute of India (SII), has said that has taken up the issues faced by Indians who have taken the Covishield jab travelling to the European Union at the highest levels and hoped to resolve them soon.
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"I realise that a lot of Indians who have taken Covishield are facing issues with travel to the EU, I assure everyone, I have taken this up at the highest levels and hope to resolve this matter soon, both with regulators and at a diplomatic level with countries," Poonawalla had said in a tweet.
