The European Union proposed a list of 14 "safe countries" whose citizens would be allowed to travel to Europe on 1 July, if the list will be approved by the member states.
On Friday, the EU’s proposed list of countries of which citizens would be allowed to travel to Europe contains 14 countries: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.
China would also be added to the list, on the condition of reciprocity to let EU travellers in.
People coming from Andorra, Monaco, the Vatican and San Marino would also be allowed to enter.
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United States citizens, however, will not be allowed to enter. Currently, the US is hardest-hit by Covid-19, with over 128,000 deaths, while most countries in Europe have started relaxing its lockdown measures. Travellers from Brazil and Russia will also not be allowed.
The UK is not on the draft list of countries that would be allowed to enter, or the banned list, as its nationals should still be treated in the same way as EU citizens until the end of 2020, according to the European Commission.
The Croatian EU presidency had given member states until Saturday evening to vote on the list of countries drawn up on Friday, but some member states have asked for more time to decide.
“It is difficult to predict an outcome,” an EU diplomatic source told AFP news agency. "But the presidency hopes to be able to vote on Monday,” the source added.
Initially, a draft list of 54 countries had been discussed by EU members, official sources told Euronews, adding that the 1 July date for the reopening of external borders was also not sure, as agreements might not be reached in time.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
