EU Expected To Lift Restrictions For All Americans

It is reported that the EU is planning to lift the U.S. travel ban this week for all Americans.

The Telegraph reported that the move would allow all Americans to travel to Europe regardless of their vaccination status. It would mean that for the first time in over a year, non-essential travel would be allowed throughout all 27 EU countries.

However, the U.S. would need to lift its travel ban, put in place in March 2020, for travel to be freely allowed in both directions. President Biden announced at the G7 Summit in Cornwall, England that he has established task forces to look into when the U.S. borders might be successfully opened to Mexico, Canada, the U.K. And EU countries. One theory is that the U.S. might try to reopen borders for Independence Day on July 4.

At present, some EU countries have opened their borders to American travelers, some to just vaccinated people and some to all Americans, with negative PCR test results.

The Telegraph reported that the Portuguese have suggested adding the U.S., Albania, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Taiwan to an expanded White List of countries. The newspaper was told that the EU plans to approve the new list today. It is Portugal that currently holds the rotating EU presidency.

EU countries are likely to follow recommendations but they are under no obligation to do so and may decide to require additional travel restrictions, if they think it necessary.