COVID certificates issued by Ukraine will be accepted in the countries of the European Union from August 20.

The corresponding decision was made by the European Commission on Thursday, the press service of the EC reported. Similar decisions on equivalence were also adopted for North Macedonia and Turkey.

"This means that the countries will be connected to the EU's system and that COVID certificates issued by North Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine will be accepted in the EU, as of tomorrow, under the same conditions as the EU Digital COVID Certificate," the press release says.

At the same time, the EC noted that North Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine had agreed to accept the EU Digital COVID Certificate for travel from the EU to their countries. "Thus, their participation in the EU’s Digital COVID Certificate will thus facilitate safe travel to and from the EU," they said in the European Commission.

In this regard, Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said: "I am pleased to see that the list of countries implementing a system based on the EU Digital COVID Certificate is growing steadily and we are setting standards internationally. This will help to facilitate safe travel, also beyond the borders of our Union."

In turn, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi stressed: "As we fight the pandemic together, our partners are also an integral part of opening up safely together." "I welcome Ukraine, North Macedonia and Turkey in our Digital COVID Certificate system and look forward to more of our neighbours connecting soon," he stressed.

The three decisions adopted today will enter into force as of tomorrow, 20 August 2021 and are available online.