The European Parliament has decided that the COVID certificate should be introduced for 12 months, and the final decision should be made by the Council of the European Union. This document, in digital or paper form, would guarantee for Union citizens that a person has been vaccinated.
The certificate should also be issued to third-country nationals, including BiH. The intention is to introduce this certificate by the beginning of the summer. What can BiH citizens expect?
With the arrival of nicer weather and with the increase in the number of vaccinated people, the travel option is becoming easier.
However, in order for travel to run smoothly, at least according to the European Parliament’s announcements, the introduction of COVID passports is needed.
As Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a member of the European Union, and at the same time a complex country, the introduction of COVID passports is a problem even before the introduction.
“As a country that is not yet within the EU, we would have a lot of problems, so I am afraid that this will create additional administrative problems that we already have too many and I am in favor of complete human freedom,” said Ahmedin Sabanagic, director of the Autoprevoz Agency. “Bus”, Mostar.
“Before the arrival of guests in BiH, we should be a country on at least an orange, yellow or green list for our guests to come anyway. We used to have problems when crossing the border, it took a long time in Doljani, on any, while the whole bus is being inspected, and now there will be a bigger problem and bigger procedures, ”said Sanja Kaljuzny from Fortuna Tours, Mostar.
Anyone who has had COVID in our country and reported to a family doctor can get a certificate of infection with which they can travel. Those who have been tested in private laboratories cannot get that confirmation.
“As for the excerpt from the medical documentation, ie the certificate from which it is clear that the person has suffered from COVID-19, he can currently travel to the Republic of Croatia and for all other countries he must be informed on their website, so some countries confirm these excerpts from medical documentation, for three, some for six months and it is all subject to change “, said the spokesperson of the Health Center Mostar Ines
For now, the Sarajevo Canton is the only one in our country that should launch an application for obtaining a COVID passport. It could be given to all vaccinated residents of Sarajevo Canton, regardless of where they are vaccinated.
Therefore, questions arise such as – what about the other citizens of our country?
What about those who have been vaccinated with a Russian or Chinese vaccine that has not yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency? What about those who received only the first dose? The introduction of COVID passports has not yet been placed at the level of our state, but is being dealt with by individual counties and entities. And an additional absurdity for our country is that Bosnia and Herzegovina receives vaccines on a dropper, mostly from donations, and these vaccines are one of the basic elements that would be represented in the COVID passport.
“If there is any harmonization within the EU, if there is a vote and a decision to introduce it, to give us the necessary inputs so that we can prepare in time and of course we will monitor the EU, if they make that decision, we are already working on to be ready “, said the Minister of Civil Affairs of BiH, Ankica Gudeljevic.
Since the European Union is not yet clear on how to carry out this procedure, it is difficult to expect that in our country it will run smoothly. But for now, it is clear that the COVID passport will not serve as a travel document, BHRT writes.
