17/04/2020 (Agence Europe) – Of the 600,000 European citizens who were stranded abroad due to travel restrictions at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, more than 500,000 have been repatriated. The remaining 98,900 will return in the coming days, the European Commission and the European External Action Service announced on Friday 17 April (see EUROPE 12461/4). This result is credited to EU efforts, from coordinating consular assistance for flights organised and financed by Member States to repatriating citizens through flights organised by the Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and 75% co-financed under the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. The latter organised 200 flights and repatriated 45,000 European citizens. (AN)