The European Commission proposed on Wednesday how borders between EU countries should gradually open to travel and tourism.
The Commission issued recommendations for health regulations in the tourism industry during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Commission also proposed that vouchers should be made more attractive to avoid large cash payments from travel companies to consumers.
The Commission announced this in a press release.
The EU's Mediterranean countries in particular have pushed to make tourism possible this summer to save the countries' tourism industries.
However, it is up to each EU country to decide when entry restrictions should be lifted.
But the Commission recommended that if restrictions cannot be lifted against all countries at the same time, a first step could be to lift them against countries with a similar epidemiological situation.
The Commission proposed three criteria:
+ that the epidemiological situation is improving according to the EU's infectious disease control agency ECDC,
+ that containment measures can be applied throughout the journey, and
+ that economic activities and travel for personal reasons are prioritized.
Furthermore, countries may not discriminate between people from an EU country. If entry is permitted from a specific EU country, both its citizens and other legal residents must be admitted.
The Commission disapproves of both quarantine (which Spain is now imposing) and immunity certificates, sources in the Commission said.
It is uncertain how long immunity will last. Furthermore, such immunity certificates could lead to people deliberately trying to get infected.
The Commission also did not recommend ”tourist corridors”.
”"If, for example, Sweden and Greece consider that the situation allows travel between the countries, this applies to the entire countries," said a source in the Commission.
When it comes to choosing a means of transport, the Commission does not recommend one over the other. All should be opened. However, different health regulations should be applied.
For example, regulations should consider ventilation, air filters, avoiding concentration of passengers, distribution of seating, reducing movement of passengers on board flights and ferries, and whether mask requirements are needed.
The Commission maintains that EU law gives a traveller the right to a cash refund if a trip is cancelled.
But the Commission wants to make vouchers more attractive so as not to put even more pressure on travel companies' liquidity.
Voluntary vouchers should be protected against the bankruptcy of the travel company. They should be valid for at least 12 months and still be convertible into cash after that, the commission recommended.
The voucher should also be flexible in terms of the itinerary and the ability to transfer it to another passenger.
Tracking apps will become an important tool when travel between EU countries is allowed. Therefore, interoperability between countries' apps must be ensured.
Source: Nyhetsbyrån Direkt
