European Medicines Agency

Ljubljana – After Slovenia’s vaccination centres reported they had been receiving fewer Covid-19 vaccines this week than they have ordered, the national vaccination logistics coordinator said on Wednesday that more doses would be available in June, and that a major shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine was expected this Friday.

The European Council on Thursday advised member states to relax entry restrictions for non-essential travellers from non-EU countries who have been fully immunized against COVID-19 with a vaccine authorized by Brussels.

Ljubljana – Health Minister Janez Poklukar called for coordination of measures to form guidance for travel and crossing the borders within the EU, as he addressed a virtual informal meeting of EU health ministers on Thursday. He also urged a fair global distribution of vaccines against Covid-19.

The European Union is blocking Russia-made vaccines against Covid-19, the head of Russia's external intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, said on Tuesday.

He said the EU was preventing the approval of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V in Europe for political reasons.

Brussels – The health minister expects that the EU will have enough Covid-19 vaccine in the coming months to fight off the pandemic, and that a digital green certificate will also play an important role. Its first version could be available in Slovenia in June, allowing residents to travel abroad over the summer, he said on Wednesday.

Ljubljana – The Health Ministry and the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ) told the STA on Wednesday that the vaccination of children and adolescents in Slovenia would start when the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gives its approval.

There are sufficient quantities of vaccines available in the country, deliveries are regularly carried out by all manufacturers. The "green corridors" for vaccination will continue to function. Director of the Bulgarian Drug Agency Bogdan Kirilov assured the arrival of another 273,780 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will be on time.

Coordinator of Romania's COVID-19 vaccination campaign Valeriu Gheorghita said on Tuesday that there is a clear prospect of immunising this summer 12-15-year-olds in the country using the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.

The European Union's executive on May 3 proposed that travellers who are fully vaccinated with EU-approved jabs be able to enter the bloc, a statement said.

The European Commission urged the EU's 27 member countries - which make their own decisions on health matters - to "lift restrictions on non-essential travel for vaccinated persons travelling to the EU".

Ljubljana – Slovenia and Hungary have agreed to mutually recognise their respective Covid-19 vaccination certificates, the Slovenian Ministry has announced. A vaccination certificate issued in one country will have the same legal effect as the one issued in another, in line with the internal national legal orders.