Hungarian Immunity Certificate Alone Not Enough to Cross Romanian Border
Despite multiple confirmations that Hungary and Romania have accepted each other’s immunity certificates, the Hungarian immunity card alone is not sufficient to allow for travel to Romania without going into quarantine.
While discussions between Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu, as well as statements by Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîțu had made the immunity certificate appear relevant for travel, ultimately no official agreement was reached between the two governments.
Hungary and Romania have agreed to mutually accept each other’s immunity certificates, Romanian prime minister Florin Cîțu confirmed on Thursday. Unfortunately, this does not change the fact that Transylvanian Hungarians who were vaccinated in Romania but live in Hungary cannot get a Hungarian immunity certificate. Florin Cîțu said the foreign ministries of the tw
EU Nations Creating Bilateral Solutions to Immunity Certificate Travel
The planned immunity certificate system of the European Union could face irrelevance as various member states, among them Hungary, are introducing their own solutions to allowing vaccinated people to travel, either internationally or domestically. While the main concern is that the development of the European database is taking too long, Hungary’s use of bilateral agreements could likely be tied to its licensing of vaccines not authorized by the European Medicines Agency.
European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders stated to the European Parliament that member states impede on the effectiveness of a single, joint vaccination certification system if they introduce their own vaccination certificates.
Romania and Hungary to Accept Each Other’s Immunity Certificates
Hungary and Romania have agreed to mutually accept each other’s immunity certificates, Romanian prime minister Florin
Cîțu confirmed on Thursday. Unfortunately, this does not change the fact that Transylvanian Hungarians who were vaccinated in Romania but live in Hungary cannot get a Hungarian immunity certificate.
Florin Cîțu said the foreign ministries of the two nations are still finalizing the formalities of the agreement, but they are in agreement to accept each other’s on immunity certificates. In fact, Cîțu told MTI that Romania is willing to accept all EU member state’s immunity certificates.
Sibiu, Romania. (Photo via Tudor George/Pixabay)
(CN) Romanian authorities unjustifiably sanctioned a prominent politician and Calvinist bishop from the country’s ethnic Hungarian minority for displaying flags associated with an autonomy movement at his private office building, Europe’s human rights court found on Tuesday.
In a ruling only available in French, the European Court of Human Rights said Romania violated Laszlo Tokes’ free speech rights by taking actions to force him to remove the flags outside his office. Tokes is best known as a dissident pastor who helped spark Romania’s revolution that brought down dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989.
Bilateral ties between Hungary and Romania are “full of untapped potential” that could include cross-border interregional cooperation, economic and energy cooperation as well as cooperation with the central European Visegrad Group, Hunor Kelemen, the head of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party, told the Friday edition of the daily Magyar Nemzet.
Romania’s government should recognize that cooperation with Hungary would also benefit its own citizens, including Transylvanian Hungarians, Kelemen told the paper.
“We’ll be working to help this process along,” he said, adding that many of his “Romanian colleagues” and the Hungarian government were also open to improving bilateral cooperation.