European Union Shortens List of Countries Approved for Travel
Today the Council of the European Union released its latest list of countries approved for travel to and from the EU. Three countries originally on the first list issued on July 1 have been removed, namely Algeria, Montenegro and Serbia. The list is otherwise unchanged. While China remains on the list, the United States continues to be excluded.
The list is reviewed every two weeks and is based on the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants reported by a country over the previous 14 days. The number must be similar or lower than the EU average as of June 15, 2020 in order for the country to be listed.
Also, the lifting of travel restrictions for these countries is not immediate, but gradual. The EU Council’s recommendation is not legally binding and various EU countries have their own list of nations from which they will allow travelers.
The current EU approved list of countries continues to include:
- Australia
- Canada
- Georgia
- Japan
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- Rwanda
- South Korea
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Uruguay
China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity.
