EU to permit in visitors from 14 'safe' countries
The EU has named 14 countries whose citizens are deemed "safe" to be make it possible for in from 1 July, regardless of the pandemic - but the US, Brazil and China are excluded.
Those called include Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco and South Korea.
The EU is ready to add China if the Chinese government offers a reciprocal offer for EU travellers, diplomats say.
EU border controls have been lifted for EU citizens travelling within the bloc. Rules for UK travellers will be covered separately in the Brexit negotiations.
UK nationals remain to be treated in the same way as EU citizens until the end of the Brexit changeover period in 31 December. Therefore, during that period UK nationals and their family will be exempt from the non permanent travel restriction.
On the existing "safe" list, still apt to be amended, are Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.
The UK is currently negotiating "air bridges" with several EU member states, to ensure that coronavirus does not totally block summer holiday seasons - the busiest season in Europe for tourism, which employs thousands of people.
The EU procedure to formalise the list, and criteria where countries are judged safe or certainly not, are to be finalised by midday about Tuesday.
A qualified majority of EU countries - at least 55% of the EU countries, representing 65% of the EU populace - have signed off on list.
There were splits around those such as for example Spain - wanting the boost of tourism, but preferring to play safe because they have been hit so hard by Covid-19 - and others like Greece and Portugal, which be based upon tourism but are less scarred by the virus.
Last week reports reported member states were assessing several several lists. The Politico website explained one protected countries with less than 16 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 persons and the different with up to 20 cases, which would include Canada and Turkey. THE BRAND NEW York Circumstances said the list will be revised every two weeks, hence the US could possibly be added later.
Before this month the European Commission as well stressed that reopening borders with non-EU says in the Western Balkans was important from 1 July. Nevertheless, EU member Croatia announced on Wednesday that travellers from Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and North Macedonia would all face 14-day self-isolation, due to a rise in infections.
