EU diplomats are close to finalizing the list of countries that will be allowed to re-enter Europe, possibly from next weekend, EU diplomats confirmed Saturday. Given the number of American coronavirus cases, it is almost guaranteed that Americans will be excluded in the short term.
The exact criteria for countries to make this list, including how to handle the spread of the virus, will be reduced later on Saturday. Another important condition is whether the country has a ban on citizens of European countries.
The number of cases has increased in the United States over the past week, with new all-time highs of 45,300 confirming new daily infections. President Donald Trump also issued an order in March suspending all public access from the European ID Check Free Travel Zone.
EU diplomats have confirmed that a formal agreement on the criteria for a transition rate per 100,000 citizens will arrive late Monday or Tuesday. Diplomats spoke on the condition of anonymity as the process was ongoing and politically sensitive.
Transition rates are high in Brazil, India, and Russia, and the European Union is unlikely to allow both of its citizens. The list is updated every 14 days, new countries added, and some virus outbreaks are left out depending on how they handle it.
It is estimated that more than 15 million Americans travel to Europe annually, and any delay could pose another setback for the virus-stricken economy and tourism in Europe and the United States. About 10 million Europeans are expected to cross the Atlantic each year for holidays and business.
The 27 EU countries and four other countries - part of Europe's "Schengen Area" - a coalition of 26 countries, where goods and people move freely without paperwork - re-establish their borders between each other until July 1. Since it appears on the track to open.
After this, unnecessary travel to Europe was banned, in order to prevent new virus cases from being registered, and to remove th
em regularly.
'Restore our global economy'
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed concern that the European Union could refuse to allow Americans.
"We have been denied travel to Europe and vice versa. Pompeo said this is the posture we all have now, and I think we are all considering the need to take it seriously." We strive to get this right. We want to make sure it is health-oriented, science-based. "
"We need to bring back our global economy," he said.
The European Commission, which oversees Coalition Laws, believes that "travel restrictions should not be lifted in respect of third countries where the situation is worse." 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are above average.
The Commission notes that tourism-oriented countries around Europe are not trying to target any country as they move forward to reopen their borders or politicize the list.
"The European Union has an internal process to determine which countries are safe to accept passengers," spokesman Eric Mammer said Thursday.
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