The leaders of the 27 EU Member States want to remain cautious about the spread of the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and, on Thursday 24 June evening, called for the best possible coordination in the process of easing restrictions on travel within the EU or from third countries. EU leaders have expressed concern about the variant, which is making its mark in Portugal, but is also being detected in other Member States.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her fears early on, and earlier this week called for coordination on travel from the UK in particular, calling for all Member States to impose a quarantine on people coming from that area.
The final text of the conclusions does not specifically mention this situation or repeat this requirement, but EU leaders stressed that they would implement the various recommendations on non-essential travel and the agreement on the EU Digital Covid Certificate in a prudent manner. They will ensure “a full return to free movement as soon as the health situation permits”.
“We now need good coordination”, acknowledged French President Emmanuel Macron. “Our rules must be harmonised when it comes to opening up to third countries. This is the key to making the European certificate fully effective. With Germany, we had the same discourse: prudence and vigilance in the face of this new variant, and indispensable European coordination”, he said at the end of the meeting.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has recently criticised the position of some countries, including Portugal - which welcomes British tourists without quarantine - and Greece. Merkel said on Friday that the issue had not been raised again, noting however that Greek Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis had pledged to exercise additional control over tourists vaccinated with Sputnik V. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with the editorial staff)