The Council of the European Union updated the list of countries for which the lifting of travel restrictions is "recommended."

SUBJECT: The Council of the European Union (EU) updated the list of countries for which the lifting of travel restrictions is "recommended."

Dear Member,

Following its meeting, the EU Council updated the list of countries for which the lifting of non-essential travel restrictions from third countries is "recommended." According to the list, the external borders closed in March under epidemic measures will be gradually opened, as in the previous list, to Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The European Union (EU) countries, which closed their borders in March due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), this time also removed Montenegro and Serbia from the list of countries for which travel restrictions are lifted.

If EU countries' citizens are granted travel permission, no restrictions will be applied to China either. As for Montenegro and Serbia, for which the lifting of travel restrictions was recommended in the previous list, the borders will be closed again.

EU countries' travel restrictions will continue for countries such as Turkey, the USA, Russia, Brazil and India.

On the other hand, the list in question will be updated every two weeks based on the Covid-19 situation and the number of cases in the countries, and the next assessment and meeting is expected to be held on July 30, 2020.

In March, the EU had imposed restrictions on non-essential travel for the 27 member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, which are part of the Schengen area, in order to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

The list, which is not binding for the member states, is advisory in nature.

We submit this matter for your information given its importance.

Respectfully,
Müberra ERESİN
President

ATTACHMENT: HOTREC Statement

To All National Associations

Dear colleagues,

The Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted. This list will continue to be reviewed and, as the case may be, updated every two weeks.

Based on the criteria and conditions set out in the recommendation, as from 16 July 2020 member states should gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries:

Algeria
Australia
Canada
Georgia
Japan
Morocco
New Zealand
Rwanda
South Korea
Thailand
Tunisia
Uruguay

China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity
The criteria to determine the third countries for which the current travel restriction should be lifted cover in particular the epidemiological situation and containment measures, including physical distancing, as well as economic and social considerations. They are applied cumulatively.

Reciprocity should also be taken into account regularly and on a case-by-case basis.

For countries where travel restrictions continue to apply, the following categories of people should be exempted from the restrictions:

EU citizens and their family members
long-term EU residents and their family members
travellers with an essential function or need, as listed in the recommendation.

The Council recommendation is not a legally binding instrument. The authorities of the Member States remain responsible for implementing the content of the recommendation. They may, in full transparency, lift only progressively travel restrictions towards countries listed.

Schengen associated countries (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) also take part in this recommendation.

For more information, please read the Press Release.