The representatives of the member states managed to reach an agreement on Wednesday to allow travelers from third countries to enter the territory of the European Union, if they have received the necessary doses of vaccines against Covid-19. .
As the summer tourist season is fast approaching, the ambassadors of the 27 have approved this recommendation proposed by the European Commission.
However, it does not have any binding application.
But the EU is trying to coordinate its measures at the external borders, given their consequences for free movement within the bloc.
The incidence rate noted
The EU closed its external borders in March 2020 for “non-essential” travel and established from June a short list, revised regularly, of third countries whose residents - vaccinated or not - can enter the Union.
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The representatives of the member states also agreed on Wednesday to relax the criterion of the incidence rate of the virus taken into account to draw up this list.
The rate is raised from 25 to 75 cases (per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 14 days).
The list, which currently has seven countries (Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, plus China pending reciprocity), is expected to grow significantly as a result. At the same time, the Member States have agreed to set up a coordinated emergency mechanism to quickly suspend arrivals from a third country in the event of a deterioration of the health situation due to the appearance of variants.