US visitors set to remain banned from entering EU

Most visitors from the US are set to remain banned from entering the European Union because of the country’s spiralling infection rate in a move that risks antagonising Donald Trump.

In an attempt to save the European tourism season, a list of 15 countries from where people should be allowed into the EU from 1 July has been agreed by representatives of the 27 member states.

Travellers from China will be among those permitted entry if Beijing reciprocates despite doubts over the accuracy of the information coming out of the country.

Visitors from the US, Russia, Brazil and India, where infection rates remain high, are set to remain excluded despite the initial arguments of some EU governments who would like to have offered further help in keeping the tourism industry afloat.

At the height of the pandemic in mid-March, the European commission had advised member states that non-essential travel from outside the EU should not be permitted.

The list, which will be updated every two weeks ,is only advisory and EU member states can deviate if they wish. But the capitals have been warned of the dangers if they go their own way and expand the number of countries from where travel is permitted.

Despite leaving the EU on 31 January, the UK has been treated as a member state as it remains part of the bloc’s single market. But while Brussels has been keen to coordinate with the British government, Downing Street has not been involved in the EU’s internal deliberations and the bloc’s conclusions on who can travel to the bloc are not legally binding.