Gulf Today Report
European Union has allowed citizens of 54 world countries to benefit from the reopening of the Union external borders, that is expected to happen by the beginning of July, the Schengen visa website reported.
European Union envoys on Friday were close to finalising a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again but failed to agree on a common list of the countries.
Americans are excluded from the list in the short term due to the number of US coronavirus cases.
Citizens of Brazil, Qatar, the US and Russia will only be able to enter Europe at a later date when the pandemic situation in these countries improves.
According to Schengen visa website, the nationals of the following countries are listed in this draft list:
1.Albania
2.Algeria
3.Andorra
4.Angola
5.Australia
6.Bahamas
7.Bhutan
8.Bosnia and Herzegovina
9.Canada
10.China
11.Costa Rica
12.Cuba
13.Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
14.Dominica
15.Egypt
16.Ethiopia
17.Georgia
18. Guyana
19. India
20.Indonesia
21. Jamaica
22.Japan
23.Kazakhstan
24.Kosovo
25.Lebanon
26.Mauritius
27.Monaco
28.Mongolia
29.Montenegro
30.Morocco
31.Mozambique
32.Myanmar
33.Namibia
34.New Zealand
35.Nicaragua
36.Palau
37.Paraguay
38.Rwanda
39.Saint Lucia
40.Serbia
41.South Korea
42.Tajikistan
43.Thailand
44.Tunisia
45.Turkey
46.Turkmenistan
47.Uganda
48.Ukraine
49.Uruguay
50.Uzbekistan
51.Vatican City
52.Venezuela
53.Vietnam
54.Zambia
“The European Union has an internal process to determine from which countries it would be safe to accept travellers,” EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said last Thursday, adding that its decisions are “based on health criteria.”
On June 11, the Commission presented its recommendation on the reopening of internal Schengen borders on June 15, so that Europeans can travel within the borderless area freely, just as they did pre-pandemic.
At the same time, the Commission recommended that the Member States should start allowing third-country nationals to enter the EU starting from July 1, gradually and partially, based on the epidemiological situation in each third-country.