Although Americans are allowed to visit most European countries, the US government still imposes travel bans on citizens from 26 countries. The first travel ban imposed on European countries was announced in March 2020, when former United States President Donald Trump imposed an initial 30-day ban.
Since March 2020, the US government has made several attempts to ease entry restrictions for European countries, starting with countries with low levels of coronavirus.
However, travelers from the United States were welcomed in Croatia even last year, despite the fact that other EU countries have banned American tourists. According to the official report, all other foreign nationals, including US citizens, are allowed to enter Croatia for business, tourism or other personal reasons, provided they provide proof.
Moreover, Croatia has once again announced that it is ready to receive American travelers in May, and has since kept its borders open to them.
Since March, Iceland has also opened its borders to vaccinated Americans, becoming the first country to allow vaccinated passengers to enter the country.
In June, Denmark followed suit, allowing fully vaccinated American travelers, despite the fact that the EU Commission did not recommend doing so. The Netherlands, Portugal and Frankfurt have also started operating their transatlantic flights from the United States.
Along with Germany, Italy relaxed its restrictions on travelers from the United States, allowing them to enter only if they used a COVID-tested flight to get there. Now travelers only need to provide proof of vaccination, proof of recovery or a negative test result for COVID-19 upon arrival.
On the other hand, the Spanish government has allowed vaccinated Americans to visit their country, including unvaccinated travelers, without passing entry requirements.
In the US, it’s another matter. Although the country has repeatedly said it plans to lift the entry ban for Europeans, this has not yet happened, and Europeans are still barred from entering the United States for 525 days.
The last time the United States announced its intention to lift the ban on Europeans was in July, when President Joe Biden commented on it during a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
However, a week later, White House sources said that the US government did not intend to lift the restrictions due to a sharp increase in the number of cases of Coronavirus Delta in the EU.
Following these circumstances, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who had previously called on the EU to lift restrictions on entry for Europeans, called on the United States to lift the entry ban on Europeans, saying the situation should not be delayed for several weeks.
Earlier, EU officials asked the United States to lift entry restrictions for business travelers, noting that 60% of investment in the United States comes from them and that this barrier causes serious damage to their business. Moreover, the EU’s top diplomat in Washington, Stravos Lambridindinis, called the approach a mistake and criticized the United States for not allowing European company executives to control their investments.
The Airlines Passenger Services Association (APEX) has called on President Biden to lift the travel ban in a letter signed by CEO Dr. Joe Leader and chief operating officer Russ Lemierre, chief executive Lauren Costello and U.S. policy director Michael Taylor. The letter also noted that the ban is not based on scientific evidence and separates families at a time when they need reunification the most.