New Delhi: India has proposed to the European Union reciprocal formula to receive Covaxin and Covishield vaccines to facilitate international travel with the region.
Sources in the government said that UE member countries have been asked individually to recognize vaccines given in India, and free the beneficiaries of the compulsory quarantine after arriving in the region.
It was also requested that a vaccination certificate, available and can be verified on the Government Cowin Portal recognized.
India, in turn, will free travelers from the EU member countries concerned from quarantine mandatory if they bring the Covid Digital EU certificate.
The European Union Covid Certificate Framework for facilitating free movements will take effect on Thursday.
Under this framework, people who have taken vaccines authorized by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) will be released from travel restrictions in the EU.
At present, only four vaccines – Comirnaty of Pfizer / Biontech, Moderna, Vaxzervia by Astrazeneca-Oxford and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen – have been approved by EMA.
But covishield and covaxin, which are managed in India are not in the list.
There are concerns in India that people who take Jab Covishield and Covaxin cannot be eligible to travel to European Union member countries with the ‘Green Pass’ scheme.
The Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar on Tuesday took the issue of covishield and covaxin on the UE list during the meeting with Josep Borrell Fontelles, a high representative of the European Union.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Italy.
(With input from agency)