Brussels is proposing to lift all travel restrictions within the European Union and the Schengen area on Monday, June 15. In addition, to open the European Union’s external borders with the countries of the Western Balkans from 1 July.
Although the majority of European Union countries and the Schengen area will have opened their borders by June 15, some, such as Spain, plan to do so later. The European Commission is proposing that “all restrictions” imposed on the treatment of coronavirus disease be lifted by that date.
The commission also proposes a “partial and progressive opening” of the EU’s external borders and the Schengen area after June 30th.
The last reason for the borders belongs to the states, while the European Commission can only make recommendations.
The recommendation comes as many of the 27 EU member states begin to relax coronavirus restrictions, with some hoping to restart tourism in time for the Europe’s peak summer season.
Tourism-dependent countries such as Greece and Portugal have been pushing for a reopening to help their economies recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
The Commission considers that from 1 July travelers from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro) should be admitted within the Union, given that the epidemiological situation of these countries are “similar or better” than those of the EU.
The Commission also calls on member states to agree on a list of third countries against which restrictive measures will be lifted, depending on their health status.
The ban on unnecessary travel to the EU came into force on March 17th in a coordinated manner between Member States and the European Commission to address the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Source: RES