Lithuanian president sees only EU-approved vaccines in 'green pass' as 'logical step'

  • 2021-05-09
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda believes that it is logical to accept only EMA-approved COVID-19 vaccines for an EU-wide digital green certificate. 

"This is a very logical and consistent decision: if we believe that we can consider the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency to be truly reliable and safe, then it is only natural that the use of a green digital certificate or pass should be tied to these vaccines," Nauseda told reporters in the Portuguese city of Porto on Friday. 

"In my opinion, this is a logical step," he added. 

The president said that he is a "big supporter of the green pass" because it will help Europe to return to normal life faster.

High-ranking EU officials have said recently that the bloc-wide certificate could be approved in June, at the start of the summer vacation season. 

In late March, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said that the certificate could include jabs that are not part of the European Commission's vaccine portfolio, but only if they have been approved by the EU.

It is said, however, that individual EU member states could include additional vaccines in the pass, a move likely to be made by Hungary and several other countries that have decided to use Russia's Sputnik V or Chinese alternatives.