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In the fight against the corona pandemic, the EU countries have different approaches.
While the “Federal Emergency Brake” recently came into force in Germany, many European countries are already ringing in the summer despite the sometimes high incidences.
Some continue to hope for numerous vacationers and a few good weeks for the tourism industry.
The countries themselves decide on rules for entry; quarantine rules and corona tests are often ordered.
In the future, the currently quite different entry regulations are to be standardized to a certain extent.
The European Parliament is therefore planning to end the quarantine when traveling with a vaccination certificate within the European Union.
As soon as the joint certificate is introduced, there should be no additional travel restrictions by member states, according to the MEPs, as announced on Thursday in Brussels.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke on Twitter of an important step towards free and safe travel this summer.
It is uncertain whether Parliament will get away with its demand.
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The situation in some European countries at a glance:
Belgium
In the past few weeks, there have been stricter rules in Belgium.
Shops have been open again since Monday, and hairdressers are allowed to work again.
Ten people wearing masks are allowed to meet outdoors.
From May 8, restaurants and bars will be allowed to reopen their outdoor areas after a forced break for months.
The night curfew will also be eliminated.
The number of new infections has recently leveled off at more than 400 per 100,000 inhabitants per day.
Almost every third adult has been vaccinated at least once.
Entry is only permitted with a completed form and a negative PCR test.
After entry, people have to be in quarantine for at least seven days; a test is mandatory on the seventh day.
Anyone arriving by car, bus or train and staying for less than 48 hours is exempt from the obligation to perform PCR tests and quarantine.
Denmark
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The shops have long since reopened and the streets are full of people.
Cafes, restaurants and bars have been able to serve customers again for a week - inside, however, only if the guests can prove a negative corona test, a vaccination or a survived infection via the app.
A woman puts a shoe rack in front of a shop in the Aalborg Storcenter as the shops reopen
Source: dpa / Henning Bagger
It is noticeable that the Danish number of new infections has remained stable and low, with a seven-day incidence of less than 100, they have long remained below the German values.
Denmark is the only EU country not to use the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Nevertheless, almost 22 percent of the total population is vaccinated at least once.
Fully vaccinated tourists from Germany could soon enter the country without any test or quarantine requirements, but a final decision is still pending.
France
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If the situation permits, the movement restrictions are to be lifted at the beginning of May.
Currently, people are only allowed to move more than ten kilometers from their homes with a valid reason.
In addition, outdoor areas of restaurants and certain cultural institutions could reopen.
There are also talks about easing the evening curfew, which currently starts at 7 p.m.
However, the corona situation is still tense.
Most recently there were around 300 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and for seven days.
Around a fifth of the population was vaccinated at least once.
When entering from the EU, a negative PCR test must be presented and a declaration of honor confirmed that there are no Covid symptoms.
Great Britain
In Great Britain, the corona situation has now eased significantly thanks to a long, consistent lockdown and the well-advanced vaccination campaign.
More than half of the population has already been vaccinated once, a quarter even completely.
The seven-day incidence was most recently around 25 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
People sit at tables outside pubs in Soho, London
Source: dpa / Alberto Pezzali
In England and Wales, pubs and restaurants can once again receive guests outside, and in Scotland even inside until the evening.
Shops, gyms, hairdressers and zoos have largely reopened.
However, indoor meetings and trips abroad will remain prohibited until at least mid-May.
Entrants from Germany have to go into private quarantine for ten days and also book an expensive test package for several hundred pounds in order to do a PCR test on days two and eight after entry.
Italy
Italy has recently been on a gradual easing path.
Where the corona numbers are moderate, restaurants and bars are also allowed to serve outside at tables in the evening.
The exit ban applies from 10 p.m.
Museums and cinemas in the so-called yellow zones are already open.
From June 1st you should be able to sit inside in bars again.
Italy is targeting June 2nd for the start of the summer season.
So far, tourists have been able to travel there, but only a few do that.
Flights are still greatly reduced, but many hotels are closed.
So far, multiple tests have been compulsory - with a PCR test or a rapid antigen test - before and after entry, as well as a quarantine usually lasting five days.
It is not yet known exactly how the regulations for immigrants will look in June.
The seven-day incidence was last around 160. More than 22 percent of the population are vaccinated against the coronavirus at least once.
Malta
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The island nation wants to open to international tourism from June 1st.
As early as May 10, restaurants will be able to welcome visitors again and serve them at tables until 5 p.m.
The special thing about it: More than 40 percent of the total population have so far received at least one vaccination.
The government wants to attract vaccinated foreigners to the country shortly with preferential treatment.
A busy shopping street in Malta
Source: REUTERS
According to the Federal Foreign Office, travelers from Germany currently have to present a negative PCR test in Malta, which should not be older than 72 hours.
How exactly the regulations will be in June, including for vaccinated people, is not yet fully known.
Netherlands
Despite persistently high corona numbers, the Netherlands relaxed the first measures since the strict lockdown in mid-December on Wednesday.
The evening curfew has been abolished, shops can once again receive customers without an appointment and outdoor restaurants can again serve guests under certain conditions - at least from 12 noon to 6 p.m.
Guests toast the opening of a café together
Source: Getty Images / BSR Agency
At home you can meet two visitors a day instead of one.
All events with an audience, such as museums, cinemas and theaters, are prohibited.
Schoolchildren and students have classroom lessons at least one day a week.
The seven-day incidence was 317. Around 30 percent of the population were vaccinated at least once.
Entry is currently still strongly advised against.
Tourists need a negative corona test on their return and in some federal states also have to be in quarantine.
So far, there are no advantages for vaccinated people.
Austria
From May 19, restaurants, hotels, stages and sports facilities can open their gates again.
The government relies on access tests as a protective measure.
Events are limited to 3,000 outside and 1,500 inside.
In and around Vienna there is currently an even stricter lockdown, which is why most shops are still closed until Sunday.
The 7-day incidence across the country recently fell to 168. Around 28 percent of residents aged 16 and over received at least one dose of vaccine.
The quarantine obligation applies from May 19 only to travelers from high-risk areas according to the EU health authority ECDC.
Tourists from Germany only need negative tests, vaccinations or proof of recovery.
Poland
Gradual openings are planned.
First, for example, shopping centers and museums should be allowed to reopen under hygienic conditions.
From May 8th, hotels will be able to accommodate guests with an occupancy rate of up to 50 percent.
Outdoor catering is scheduled to start on May 15th.
From May 29th, indoor restaurant operations should be possible at half capacity.
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The Ministry of Health reported 8,895 registered new infections and 636 deaths within 24 hours on Wednesday, a seven-day incidence is not calculated in Poland.
Around 10.7 million people - 28.2 percent of the population - have been vaccinated at least once.
Travelers from EU countries have to go into quarantine for ten days.
However, this does not apply to people who have been completely vaccinated and who have a negative PCR or antigen test that is not older than 48 hours.
Switzerland
Shops, museums and libraries have been reopening since the beginning of March despite the increasing number of infections.
Since April 19, restaurant terraces, cinemas, theaters and fitness centers are back in operation.
Open-air concerts and football games can also take place again.
Hygiene rules apply, such as limiting the number of people present or the requirement to wear a mask.
Employees are preparing the outdoor area of the La Tana del Sauro restaurant above Lake Lugano for the reopening
Source: dpa / Davide Agosta
Since Easter - four weeks after the shops and museums opened - the increase has only been very slight.
Unlike in other countries, a 14-day incidence is calculated in Switzerland.
According to the Federal Office of Public Health, it was 315 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants on Wednesday.
According to the latest figures, almost ten percent of the population was fully vaccinated.
Anyone arriving by plane must generally have a negative test.
With the exception of Saxony and Thuringia, Germans can enter the country by land without any problems.
Slovakia
One and a half weeks ago, the shops reopened in compliance with strict hygiene and distance rules.
Catering establishments have been able to serve food and drinks in their outdoor areas again since Monday.
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Spectators have been allowed again at professional sporting events since Tuesday.
The number of new infections is declining and, based on the number of inhabitants, is now also well below the figures for Germany.
According to official information, around 20 percent of the population had been vaccinated at least once by Wednesday.
Unvaccinated tourists have to enter a 14-day quarantine after prior internet registration, from which they can be “freed” after eight days at the earliest.
Vaccinated persons can shorten this time by undergoing a PCR test immediately after entering the country.
Spain
The situation in Spain is relatively stable, the seven-day incidence on Wednesday was 108. So far, 23 percent of the population has received at least one vaccination.
A waiter serves customers outside a bar in Murcia
Source: dpa / Javi Carrión
The Corona emergency ends on May 9 and should not be extended due to the good development.
This removes the basis for most measures such as travel restrictions, night curfews, upper limits for gatherings and the closure of restaurants.
How to proceed after that is not yet clear.
All hopes of the country, which is extremely dependent on tourism, for a normal summer season again focus on the digital vaccination certificate.
Czech Republic
Until recently, the country was considered a corona hotspot in Europe. But the infection situation has improved significantly. According to current figures, around 150 people per 100,000 inhabitants were infected within seven days. So far, the government has been cautious about easing. All shops could open soon, but a decision is still pending. More than 18 percent of the total population have so far received at least one corona vaccination. Entry to the Czech Republic is still only possible with a valid reason.