They will be welcome this summer in EU countries.

Tourists from the United States will be allowed to visit the European Union in the coming months, provided they are vaccinated against Covid-19, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview on Sunday April 24. at the New York Times.   

"Americans, from what I can see, use vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)," she said.

"This will allow free movement and travel to the European Union".

"Because one thing is clear: the 27 Member States will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines approved by the EMA," Ursula Von der Leyen assured the New York daily.

The president of the European Commission has not released a specific timetable, but the New York Times has indicated that the new rules could be put in place as early as this summer, as vaccinations intensify around the world.

The European Medicines Agency has approved the three vaccines in use in the United States: Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson.

Tourism at a standstill

Pointing to the "huge progress" of the United States, Ursula Von der Leyen noted that they were on track to vaccinate 70% of their adult population by mid-June. 

The resumption of travel would depend "on the epidemiological situation, but the situation is improving in the United States, like, we hope, the European Union" she added.      

The pandemic has devastated the tourism industry on the European continent, as shown by the closure of borders to non-essential travel introduced by several countries of the Union.

Last week Greece - whose economy is heavily dependent on income generated from tourism - said travelers from the EU and five other countries would be exempt from mandatory quarantine upon arrival, provided they were be vaccinated against Covid-19, or be able to test negative for the coronavirus.

The European Union is considering setting up a health passport that it would like to launch this summer for travel within it. 

With AFP

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