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Pandemic restrictions: who will soon be allowed to enter the EU – and who will not

The extensive EU entry ban in the Corona crisis expires at the end of June. Now there is agreement on who will soon be allowed to cross the border. The number of new infections plays a major role.

In the EU, there is an agreement for planned easing of the corona entry restrictions that almost all member states had introduced in mid-March to curb the pandemic.

Two weeks ago, the EU Commission recommended a gradual, coordinated opening of the borders to non-EU countries on July 1 – now a catalog has been drawn up at the level of the ambassadors with requirements that the states have to meet so that they can enter from there may.

Infection events, trend, plausibility

The basic criterion is that the number of cases in a third country for lifting the entry bans must be at least as low as in the EU. An internal Council document had given a value of 16 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants for the cut-off date of June 15 this week. This number covers infections from the previous 14 days in the EU.

In addition, the trend of infection in the same period and the way in which the respective state deals with the pandemic should be decisive.

Travelers from South Korea and New Zealand should hope for the criteria. Anyone who comes from Russia, the USA, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, on the other hand, would have to be patient.

According to the AFP news agency, the criteria result in a preliminary list of 18 countries whose citizens could soon re-enter the EU. The list could be updated every two weeks to respond to current infection events.

How can the reliability of the data be assessed?

The crux of the matter is the question of which criteria should be used when assessing the reliability of data from third countries. For example, some EU countries doubted that the information from China reliably represented the actual infection in the country, AFP reported.

However, a relaxation of the entry ban would be possible if Beijing in return also lets EU citizens back into the country.

According to the reports, there is also still disagreement about the basic line in terms of easing: a number of southern European countries that are heavily dependent on tourism are therefore campaigning for the restrictions to be largely lifted, while Denmark, for example, is calling for the most prudent approach to be taken Diplomatic circles.

Joint decision keeps its own ways open

The heads of state and government of the EU are expected to assess the catalog during the day. Ideally, a decision could be taken in writing by Monday.

Ultimately, however, each government can decide for itself. Ireland, for example, had not followed the introduction of the corona restrictions and had not imposed a general entry ban except in urgent cases.

Spain, on the other hand, urged a concerted approach: “We want an agreement to avoid health risks,” said government spokeswoman María Jésus Montero. If a member state let citizens from non-EU countries in, they could eventually move across the EU.



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