President of the European Commission Ursula von der Lyon on Monday tweeted, “Time to revive tourism industry & for cross-border friendships to rekindle—safely. We propose to welcome again vaccinated visitors & those from countries with a good health situation. But if variants emerge we have to act fast: We propose an EU emergency brake mechanism.”
The Commission on Monday proposed easing restrictions on business and leisure travel for those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. EU hopes to return slowly to normalcy as vaccination rates increase. Besides travellers how have been fully vaccinated, the EU’s executive arm recommended welcoming tourists from countries with relatively low infection rates.
The commission plans to open borders by end of June, not before gaining approval from members states. The EU is working towards introducing a vaccine passport system that will make travel easier for those who have been inoculated.
EU nations would accept proof of any of the following vaccines being administered—approved vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna.
Member states may retain the provision for travellers to test negative for COVID-19 before or after arrival. The only exceptions to the vaccination rule are healthcare professionals, transport personnel, diplomats, transit passengers, those travelling for imperative family reasons, seafarers, and people in need of international protection or for other humanitarian reasons.
