The Council of the European Union has released a new statement calling on alliance members to lift all remaining travel restrictions and ensure full freedom of movement within Europe.
In a statement dated December 13, the Council of the EU confirmed that it had adopted amendments to travel recommendations and to facilitate freedom of movement within the EU. In this regard, Member States are advised to refrain from imposing any new restrictions.
“According to the new recommendations, Member States should not impose any travel restrictions citing public health. At the same time, we have retained several precautionary measures in case the epidemiological situation worsens,” the Council said in a statement.
If the epidemiological situation worsens and it is necessary to resolve the situation, appropriate restrictions should be introduced in a coordinated manner, for example, resuming vaccination, and returning verification of certificates of recovery and testing.
If a dangerous strain is found in any third country or region of the world, EU countries may impose urgent temporary travel restrictions, which should be the same for everyone.
“Such restrictions will expire in 21 days unless Member States decide to reduce it or extend it for an additional period,” the Council said in a statement.
As a reminder, Spain was the latest in the EU to lift COVID-19 restrictions for tourists from outside the EU on October 21, allowing them to enter without having to fill out a medical questionnaire and provide evidence of vaccination, testing, or recovery.
Three weeks earlier, on October 1, Luxembourg lifted all restrictions.
According to experts, by the end of 2023, European tourism will recover by at least 75 percent compared to 2019 levels.
According to the European Tourism Commission (ETC), the airline industry has recovered the most successfully, with flight volumes in August only 11 percent below August 2019 levels.