The repatriation of EU citizens stranded abroad due to travel restrictions is set to continue, with the help of the EU.
On Thursday 19 March, Germany activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to request support for the repatriation of 3,000 citizens this week on 13 flights; these flights will be 75% co-financed by the European Commission. The citizens are due to be repatriated from Egypt, Morocco, the Philippines, Tunisia and Argentina.
More than 100,000 European citizens—men, women and children—stranded abroad have expressed a wish to return home. “We're here to help them. We are working with governments on this”, said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a video published on Twitter.
605 European citizens had previously been repatriated from Morocco on two Austrian flights (see EUROPE 12449/5).
The EU is preparing to contribute to the repatriation of European citizens from Peru, Mongolia, the Maldives and many African countries, said Commissioner von der Leyen. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)