Brussels, 29 June, LETA – DPA / AFP. Even after 1 July, most third-country nationals, including the United States, will be denied entry to the European Union (EU), bloc diplomats have told the DPA.
Only 14 nationals will be allowed to enter the EU.
The list of “safe countries” includes Algeria, Australia, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, Morocco, Montenegro, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.
The EU also has no objections to the entry of Chinese citizens, but the Chinese will only be allowed to leave after Beijing lifts the ban on EU citizens.
A written approval procedure for this decision has now been proposed in the European Council, diplomats report.
Three months ago, EU Member States, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, agreed to close external borders to third-country nationals whose travel is not considered important due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Currently, only EU third-country nationals residing in the bloc, family members and diplomats of EU citizens are allowed to enter the EU on an exceptional basis.
The debate between EU member states on which citizens to open their borders to after 1 July lasted several weeks.
Some countries objected to maintaining the entry ban for US citizens while the Chinese could be allowed to enter. Such a decision could have political consequences, provoking Washington’s dissatisfaction.
The list is to be reviewed every two weeks.
For a country to be recognized as safe, the number of new infections should not exceed 16 per 100,000 population, which is in line with the EU average.
Meanwhile, more than 120 infections per 100,000 population have been reported in the United States in the last two weeks.
The written voting procedure is expected to last until Tuesday afternoon, sources told the EU.
The decision on this issue is taken by a so-called qualified majority, that is, if at least 55% of the countries, representing at least 65% of EU citizens, vote in favor.
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