Delta variant: cacophony within member countries over travel rules annoys EU

ANALYSIS

In Europe, the spread of the Delta variant worries governments a little more every day.

On Thursday, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune thus advised the French "to avoid Spain and Portugal" this summer.

Statements that do not really have more on the other side of the Pyrenees, and which are also not viewed very favorably in Brussels. 

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Indeed, this position takes place less than 10 days after the entry into force of the European health certificate, which should on the contrary facilitate border crossing.

The European Commission recalls that the Member States have promised to coordinate and to have coherent approaches. 

Any measures must be reported 48 hours in advance

Less than a month ago, the 27 adopted common principles to put into practice if the situation worsens.

These kinds of guidelines do provide for the possibility of discouraging tourism, but only if the contamination rates exceed a very high threshold.

Spain and Portugal are not there. 

And if Paris nevertheless plans to take measures, France has undertaken to notify them 48 hours in advance to the 26 other countries and to the Commission so that they can be discussed. Recently, the Germans wanted to set up quarantines for vaccinated or cured people returning from Portugal. Under pressure, they quickly gave up. The real solution is the acceleration of vaccination everywhere on the continent, insists the European Commission.