Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) proposed on Tuesday 14 July limiting the EU list of non-Member States whose residents are allowed to return to the EU for non-essential travel and removing Serbia and Montenegro from a first list adopted on 30 June (see EUROPE 12517/8). A written adoption procedure was launched as a result.
This list from 30 June contained 14 non-Member States plus China (which had a reciprocity condition) and was defined primarily by an epidemiological criterion (number of infections reported over the last 2 weeks/100,000 inhabitants).
However, developments in the two Balkan countries in recent days have raised the question of whether they should be kept on the list. After doubts about Algeria’s fate, the country remains on the list at this stage, but no other non-Member States were added at this meeting. This could be the case at the next review.
The epidemiological criterion used by the Member States as at 30 June was an average of 16 infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 2 weeks. The non-Member States on the list must be at or below this level.
Member States were informed on 13 July of new data from the ECDC and, according to one source, “Serbia and Montenegro” were very clearly concerned by a possible withdrawal.
As a reminder, the 30 June list included 15 non-Member States: China, Canada, Australia, Uruguay, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Rwanda, Thailand, Georgia, Serbia and Montenegro. It would therefore be reduced to 13 countries once the ambassadors’ decision is confirmed.
Several Member States, including Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, but also Germany, had already announced national lists that were more restricted than the common list at the beginning of July. The recommendation that frames the latter is not binding, but Member States may not add a non-Member State to their national list that is not approved by the others. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)