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  • 14-01-2021 17:31

EU/Presidency: Mutually recognised vaccine certificate important – Von der Leyen


Brussels, Jan. 14, 2021 (Lusa) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that a mutually recognised vaccination certificate in the European Union is important and welcomed the initiative of the Greek prime minister calling for vaccinated individuals to be able to travel freely.

"It is a medical requirement to have a certificate proving that you have been vaccinated. I, therefore, welcome the initiative of the Greek prime minister [Kyriakos Mitsotakis] on a mutually recognised vaccination certificate," Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with Lusa and other Portuguese media in Brussels.

The president of the European Commission was reacting to a letter sent to her by Mitsotakis earlier this week, in which he said that although he did not wish to make the vaccine "compulsory or a pre-requisite for travel", he asked that "people who have been vaccinated should be able to travel freely".

"Whatever is decided, whether it gives priority or access to certain goods, is a political and legal decision that should be discussed at a European level, but I think it is important and, as I said, we have to have a medical requirement that proves that people have been vaccinated," Von der Leyen stressed in an interview on the visit to Lisbon of a European Commission delegation under the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union.

She also said that "it was and is good" that EU member states had jointly negotiated contracts for the purchase of vaccines and that by the end of the week, 10 million doses of BioNTech/Pfizer and Modern vaccines "will have been delivered" in all member states.

"With these two vaccines, and with access to these two vaccines, we have enough doses to vaccinate 80% of the European population," she added.

The Commission is now distributing the vaccines 'quickly and massively', she added, who also reinforced the need to work 'in close collaboration' with EU countries.

"Now we have to work closely with the Member States to make sure that vaccination accelerates because that is the best way to fight this pandemic, and to overcome and eradicate the virus," she said.

Asked about a temporary suspension of the intellectual rights of pharmaceutical companies over vaccines to allow emerging countries to vaccinate their population, Von der Leyen stressed that the EU has vaccines for the European population and its 'neighbourhood'.

"We have guaranteed 2.3 billion vaccines, which is more than enough for the European population and [our] neighbours because I think it is very important that we support low and middle-income countries," she said.

Von der Leyen also pointed out that, in addition to the right donation of vaccines, the support given by the European Commission and the member states to the COVAX initiative - which provides for the purchase of two billion vaccines by the end of 2021, to be used in low- and middle-income countries -- is among the largest.

"We are one of the largest donors, with €800 million donated, so once COVAX has access to vaccines, they can buy those doses," she stressed.

TEYA/ADB // ADB.

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