As the European Union relaxes travel restrictions under its 'Green Passport' scheme, India has requested the members of the 27-nation grouping to individually consider allowing Indians who have taken Covishield and Covaxin vaccines to travel to Europe, sources said adding India will institute a reciprocal policy for recognition of the EU Digital Covid Certificate.
The sources said India has requested the EU member nations to accept the vaccination certificate issued through the CoWIN portal.
The European Union's Digital COVID certificate framework to facilitate free movement during the COVID-19 pandemic is to come into effect on Thursday.
Under this framework, persons who have taken vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will be exempted from travel restrictions within the EU.
The individual member states have the flexibility to also accept vaccines that have been authorised at the national level or by the World Health Organisation.
The EU countries accept only the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency, which are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Janssen. But Covishield, which is the Indian version of AstraZeneca, is yet to get their clearance.Asked about the discrepancy by news agency ANI, Ugo Astuto, the European Union ambassador to India, said, Every approval process of vaccine must be conducted on its own merit".
