EU accepts San Marino’s Covid-19 vaccine certificates – vast majority of people in tiny European state received Russia's Sputnik V

The EU has recognized vaccine certificates from San Marino as equivalent to its own Digital COVID Certificate. Most of the population of the tiny European country have been inoculated with the Russian-produced Sputnik V formula.

The EU announced that a decision had been made to accept vaccine certificates issued by the governments of San Marino and the Vatican. 

A technical document, dated July 30, also outlined that a decision on equivalence had been reached between the EU and the aforementioned micro-states, meaning that certificates issued in San Marino and the Vatican could be used as proof of vaccination in the EU, and vice-versa. 

“Therefore, Covid-19 certificates issued by San Marino in accordance with the ‘smdcc’ system should be accepted under the conditions referred to in Article 5(5), Article 6(5), and Article 7(8) of Regulation (EU) 2021/953,” the document reads.

“I am pleased to see that more countries are implementing a system based on the EU Digital Covid Certificate,” Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said in a statement, stressing the need for interoperability. 

San Marino told the European Commission that it will issue vaccination certificates which are interoperable with the EU Digital Covid Certificate. “These currently include Comirnaty, Moderna, Vaxzevria, Janssen and Sputnik V,” the EU document notes, citing the approved vaccines in the micro-state.

According to local media, around 90% of San Marino’s vaccinated population received Sputnik V. The Russian shot was first authorized in the landlocked state on the Italian peninsula in February. 

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) also shared the announcement on the official Twitter account of Sputnik V on Tuesday morning, quoting Reynders. 

The Russian-developed vaccine is yet to be approved in the EU although it has been authorized in 69 countries including Hungary, an EU member state.

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