The European Commission issued a decision Monday (November 15th) certifying that the official COVID certificate issued by Serbia is equivalent to the EU’s digital COVID certificate and that Serbian citizens with this certificate can travel to the EU.
The European Commission’s decision will take effect on Tuesday. The Commission also recognized the certificates issued by Moldova, Georgia and New Zealand.
The four countries also agreed to accept the EU digital COVID certificate for travel from the EU to their home countries, the Commission said.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varchelli said ahead of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting that this means easier travel for the citizens of these countries, but also for European citizens who will be able to travel more freely now.
After Albania and Northern Macedonia, Serbia is the third country in the Western Balkans to have COVID certifications recognized in the EU. Passengers can use these certificates to prove that they have been fully vaccinated, have a negative PCR molecular test or that they have recovered from COVID-19 in the last 180 days.
The decision on the recognition of Serbian certificates does not change the position of individual countries on the recognition of vaccines. Each EU Member State independently decides which vaccines it recognizes and whether PCR molecular testing is required to enter each country.
The EU Delegation to Serbia stressed that the digital certificate is not a travel document: that is, the citizens of Serbia who hold it still have to meet the special conditions set by the EU Member State they want to enter.
Most EU member states and the European Medicines Agency (EOA) still do not recognize the Russian Sputnik vaccines and the Chinese Sinopharm vaccines, which were widely administered in Serbia.
euractiv.gr
.
