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The Russian Federation and the EU are engaged in a dialogue on mutual recognition of vaccination certificates, said Sergey Lavrov. If an agreement is reached, then each member state will have to allow the Russians to enter its territory.
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More than a month after a first declaration to this effect, Brussels and Moscow have started discussions with a view to mutually recognizing their Covid certificates. This was announced by Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday, August 17, during a meeting with the Russian association of international road transporters.
“The political will seems to have been demonstrated, declared, and certain technical and legal questions are being resolved, in particular the need to ensure the protection of personal data, the technological compatibility of the procedures and a number of others. [questions]», Specifies the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“We are ready and we will continue a pragmatic and professional dialogue; We are counting very much on the fact that the delays, which clearly stem from politicization, will end and that we will reach an agreement which meets the interests of both Russian citizens and citizens of the countries of the European Union ”, he continues.
This is about the EU digital Covid certificate, introduced on July 1, which allows European citizens to move freely in the EU without being subject to restrictions such as quarantine. It is granted to people who have been vaccinated, tested negative or have recovered from Covid. A similar system has been put in place in Russia. Note that no vaccine administered in Russia has yet been recognized in the EU, and vice versa.
State Agreements
Mr Lavrov however recalls that even in the event of an agreement between Russia and the European Commission, the restrictions linked to the epidemic “fall under the exclusive competence of the various countries of the European Union”.
“Each country has the last word on the relaxations that can be made to foreigners vaccinated with a vaccine not certified by the European Union,” he underlines.
At the beginning of July, the EU invited Russia to participate in discussions on the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates. She then sent general and technical information to the Russian authorities. Currently, in addition to its Member States, the EU recognizes vaccination certificates issued in Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino and Vatican City.
Spoutnik v
As for the question of recognizing the Sputnik V, European homologation is still late. “The question is at the heart of a depoliticized and professional dialogue between competent structures”, assured Mr Lavrov at the beginning of August. The certificates from San Marino are also largely linked to injections of the Russian vaccine. The latter is also used in two other EU countries, Hungary and Slovakia.
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