GREEN PASSPORT

• Background: European Union (EU)’s Covid19 passport (green pass).
 For all EU citizens, residents and some
categories of travellers from third countries.
 Effective since July 1.

EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation.

• For all EU citizens who are vaccinated or tested negative or recovered from COVID-19. • Recognised by all EU 27 member states and
Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

• Vaccines authorised in the European Union:
 Approved by European Medicines Agency (EMA).

 Vaccines:
 Comirnaty
 Vaccine Janssen
 Spikevax (Vaccine Moderna)
 Vaxzevria (Vaccine AstraZeneca).

• Not eligible for the green pass – India’s vaccines Covishield and Covaxin and vaccines from Russia and China.
 Covishield – Indian-made version of AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria jab – cleared by WHO.
• Recent G7 conference → India criticised COVID- 19 vaccine passports.
 “Discriminatory and disadvantageous to
developing nations”.

• Developing countries – lower levels of vaccination
than developed countries.
 Example: only 3% of India’s population is fully
vaccinated.

• Racism in EU’s policy – EMA list of vaccines only includes vaccines already used by Europe and North America.

• Other issues: equitable and affordable access, supply and distribution of safe and effective vaccines etc.

• Letter of protest issued by the African Union.
 Covishield is the backbone of COVAX alliance.

• Positive development – several EU members
approved India’s Covishield for arriving travellers – Austria, Germany, Slovenia,
Greece, Ireland and Spain etc.

Way forward

• More nations may go for vaccine passports in the near future – more vaccine programmes and the impending third wave.

• Nations shall come together against
discriminatory practices.