The Scientific Advisory Committee is preparing to discuss the reopening of borders during its weekly meeting with the European Commission on the evening of 7 May. However, this temporary structure, announced at the end of the virtual European summit in March, seems to be increasingly neglected (see EUROPE 12443/1).
Only two meetings in April
Since Easter, the group of epidemiologists and virologists has met only once, on 21 April.
The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who normally chaired this bi-weekly meeting, has been replaced by the Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides.
According to the meeting’s minutes, the experts discussed the European roadmap for lifting restrictions, stressing the need to ensure sufficient testing and contact tracing capacity. They also suggested that the roadmap be updated “with a greater level of specificity (age, geographical considerations, etc.) so that key issues can be addressed in more detail (e.g. advice on reopening schools, specific childcare arrangements, etc.)”.
Tourism: how to avoid discrimination?
At its next meeting on May 7, the group is expected to address the issue of the summer holidays. According to the agenda, it has been asked to specify how to take account of the epidemiological situation in a Member State (one of the three criteria for considering lifting a lockdown) “without necessarily/unintentionally introducing discrimination on the basis of nationality or residence”. They are also expected to consider a more individualised approach.
The meeting’s agenda mentions the situation in the country of origin, the individual’s health, immunity levels, and the situation in the country of destination among the criteria to be taken into account.
It should be remembered that the Commission is preparing to present a communication on tourism in mid-May. The provisional agenda of the 13 May meeting of the College of Commissioners includes issues related to transport and tourism, such as health and safety protocols for hotels, guidelines on passenger transport, and the lifting of controls at the EU’s internal borders, an assessment of temporary restrictions on non-essential travel, and a recommendation on the issue of vouchers as an alternative to refunds for travel tickets and cancelled journeys (see other news). (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)