EU’s external borders will remain closed to most foreigners

Mon, Jun 29, 2020
By publisher
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Foreign

THE European Union will continue to ban travellers from the United States and most other countries beyond July 1, EU diplomats tell dpa.

Only 14 countries made it onto the list of states that will be allowed into the bloc, including Australia, Canada, and Thailand.

Chinese citizens will be allowed in principle – but only once China lifts its ban on EU citizens.

The European Council has now initiated the formal written procedure to pass the agreement, according to EU diplomats.

The agreement comes three months after the EU – plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein – closed its external borders to all non-essential travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It follows weeks of intense discussions between EU member states about which countries the group should open its borders to and which ones to ban.

The rules will take into account epidemiological factors, such as the number of new infections and whether the trend of cases is stable or decreasing.

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– Jun. 29, 2020 @ 17:50 GMT |

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