As planned, the Commission recommended to Member States on Thursday 11 June that they extend for a further 2 weeks the restrictions they are applying to non-essential travel by third country nationals to the EU. The gradual opening of the external borders from 1 July would also be based on a 'list' of third countries that do not pose any health risks.
In a communication (https://bit.ly/30E1B5o ) presented by Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the Commission advocates that tourists should gradually be brought back to the EU. Indeed, as the situation in some third countries remains "critical", it is "not possible at this stage to propose a full lifting of restrictions", the Commissioner said.
As regards third countries with risk criteria, it will nevertheless be possible to accept the arrival of certain categories of population, for example students.
Ylva Johansson also took the opportunity to return to the issue of lifting internal border controls throughout the EU from 15 June, even though there is no specific recommendation on this request.
"We ask this because the situation is good, the situation is improving and ECDC reports have indicated that (internal) border controls are not effective in dealing with the pandemic."
All these internal measures "must be lifted by Monday", the Commissioner insisted. In this respect, however, it is up to the Member States to decide, and some countries, such as Spain, have already said that they would take longer and would not be able to lift the control as early as 15 June.
In the meantime, on the reopening of the EU to third countries, Member States will be asked to observe several criteria, such as similar or better epidemiological situation in the country of origin, including new infections, pandemic responses with testing capacity, e.g. containment measures taken, distancing or tracing of patients.
It is also necessary to ensure that the international airports from which these people come and the companies they travel with comply with the same health safety requirements as those applied in the Member States.
In addition, reciprocity must, of course, be taken into account: the EU will only be able to reopen if EU citizens can once again travel to the third country concerned.
The Western Balkans must be a priority
While the question of reciprocity was quickly raised with regard to the United States, which had very early on imposed a ban on European travellers, the criteria put forward by the Commission could suggest that countries, such as Brazil at present or Russia, might continue to be subject to restrictions.
However, the Commission has not said anything about this. On Thursday 11 June, it only expressed the very clear wish to see the countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia) on this common list as of 1 July, so that their nationals can return to the EU soon. Once again, however, this decision will be up to the Member States, which were, moreover, due to begin their technical work as early as the afternoon of 11 June.
This is the fourth time since the beginning of the crisis that the Commission has recommended extending restrictions on non-essential travel.
On 5 June, the Commissioner had the opportunity to finalise the decision fixing the date as 1 July with the EU Home Affairs Ministers (see EUROPE 12500/1).
The Commission justifies this gradual return to normal, both in Schengen from 15 June and at the external borders from 1 July, by the fact that over the last 14 days, EU and Schengen countries (including associated third countries such as Switzerland and Norway) have, with a few exceptions, reported fewer than 100 infections per 100 000 inhabitants, it writes in its communication. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)