Discussions by EU countries on easing the entry ban from third countries to curb the coronavirus are ongoing. Consultations by the Croatian EU Presidency on a list of 15 countries were still ongoing, reports from Council circles in Brussels this morning. The list had been the preliminary result of a meeting of EU ambassadors late Friday evening. As soon as the Croatian Presidency determines the necessary qualified majority for this among the EU members, the outcome of the negotiations will be formalized in a written acceptance procedure by the Council. The easing should apply from July 1st. Since the formal decision can be made quickly, it is considered possible to meet the deadline.
The list of countries for which the EU should be banned includes Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China. The top criterion is that the countries have a similar number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within the past two weeks as the EU, namely 16 cases.
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