“The next step [face ao regulamento que entrará em vigor a 1 de julho] – use the principles of this model to negotiate with third countries on mutual recognition of vaccines, ”government official Luce replied when asked about AU’s concerns about the vaccine produced in India under the AstraZeneca license, the most widely used in Africa. have been excluded from the digital certificate.

Santos Silva spoke during a news conference that wrapped up the 11th European Union-Cape Verde Ministerial Meeting in Lisbon this afternoon, facilitated by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). At the hybrid meeting, the State Minister and the Foreign Minister represented Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

“The digital certificate is a regulation of the European Union with direct application in the EU and rules that are designed to facilitate internal circulation in the Schengen area, and the vaccine is one of the three conditions for such facilitation of spread, along with immunization. or negative, ”explained a Portuguese government official.

According to Santos Silva, “As far as vaccination is concerned, a full vaccination with one or two doses, as the case may be, is planned at least 14 days prior to travel and one of the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency. “.

“The next step will be to use the principles of this model to negotiate with third countries regarding mutual recognition of vaccinations, and this is what the European Commission is already doing, namely with the United States and Switzerland, and this is what we will do. with other countries, ”a government official said when asked that the Covishield vaccine, manufactured in India under license from AstraZeneca, is not involved in the process.

He concluded that Portugal “will rigorously apply the digital certificate within the EU internal circulation and will use the principles of this certificate in the mutual recognition of vaccinations with third countries.”

The African Union Commission and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have been concerned about the applicability of the European Union digital certification, fearing not including vaccines vaccinated in Africa.

In a statement published on the CDC Africa portal on Monday, the two organizations said they “reported with concern the recent reports of the applicability of the EU digital certificate. [União Europeia]»About the various covid-19 vaccines.

In the document, they welcome the certificate and “its potential to significantly facilitate safe free movement in all EU member states and some associated countries”, which they call “a significant step”.

“However, the current application guidelines threaten the fair treatment of vaccine recipients in countries that benefit from the EU-backed Covax mechanism, including most AU Member States. [União Africana]”, – warned two regional departments.

Portugal on Thursday approved a decree-law regulating the EU digital certificate for covid-19, confirmation of a negative test result, vaccination or recovery from illness, which will take effect in 27 member states by the summer and can be used. for travel.

The passport only includes vaccines approved by the EMA (European Medicines Agency): Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen.

Citing documents from the European Commission, African regional organizations claim that the Covishield vaccine produced by Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer licensed by AstraZeneca, is excluded from this digital certificate.

“These developments are troubling given that the Covishield vaccine was the backbone of Covax’s EU-backed contribution to immunization programs in AU member states. In addition, given that the stated production goal of the Whey Institute of India is to serve India and lower-income countries, SII may not apply for EU-wide marketing authorization, which means inequality in access to Green Passes. ” warned.

In this regard, the African Union Commission and the African Center for Disease Control have urged the EU Commission to “consider expanding access” in the event of vaccinations using vaccines “deemed suitable for a global launch through the Covax mechanism”.

According to a report by the French news agency AFP, the covid-19 pandemic has caused at least 3,925,816 deaths worldwide as a result of more than 181 million infections.

More than 5.39 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported on the continent since the start of the pandemic, more than 140,000 deaths, according to the latest data from the African Center for Disease Control.

The respiratory illness is caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, discovered at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, a city in central China.