France will reopen its European internal borders on June 15 and its Schengen external borders from July 1, ministers Jean-Yves Le Drian and Christophe Castaner announced Friday. The decision was made in accordance with the recommendations of the European Commission presented on Thursday.

"This opening will be carried out gradually and differentiated according to the health situation of the different third countries, and in accordance with the procedures which will have been adopted at European level by then", specifies the joint press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior.

International students will be allowed, regardless of their country of origin, to come to France and their reception arrangements will be favored. Their visa and residence permit applications will be processed as a priority.

With regard to European internal borders, the ministers confirm that France will lift all traffic restrictions put in place to combat the Covid-19 pandemic on June 15 at midnight.

Restrictions for Spain and the United Kingdom

Persons from European countries - Member States of the European Union as well as Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican - will therefore be able to enter French territory without restrictions on with the exception of Spain and the United Kingdom.

These two countries applying restrictions, France will continue to apply reciprocity.

>> Read also: Reopening of borders: a fragmented post-Covid Europe

Thus, Spain having chosen to maintain until June 21 its traffic restrictions as well as a fortnight for air passengers from Europe, air passengers from Spain will in turn be invited to perform a fortnight upon their arrival in France until June 21.

Passengers from the United Kingdom will no longer be subject to restrictions on entry to France from June 15 but will remain, "until further notice", invited to observe around fourteen on arrival.

France and Germany had been calling for two weeks to reopen the borders between European countries as soon as possible, after several weeks of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With AFP

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