Gulf Today Report

European Union has allowed citizens of 54 world countries to benefit from the reopening of the Union external borders, that is expected to happen by the beginning of July, the Schengen visa website reported.

European Union envoys on Friday were close to finalising a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again but failed to agree on a common list of the countries.

Americans are excluded from the list in the short term due to the number of US coronavirus cases.

Citizens of Brazil, Qatar, the US and Russia will only be able to enter Europe at a later date when the pandemic situation in these countries improves.

According to Schengen visa website, the nationals of the following countries are listed in this draft list:

    1.Albania

    2.Algeria

    3.Andorra

    4.Angola

    5.Australia

    6.Bahamas

    7.Bhutan

    8.Bosnia and Herzegovina

    9.Canada

    10.China

    11.Costa Rica

    12.Cuba

    13.Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

    14.Dominica

    15.Egypt

    16.Ethiopia

    17.Georgia

    18. Guyana

    19. India

    20.Indonesia

    21. Jamaica

    22.Japan

    23.Kazakhstan

    24.Kosovo

    25.Lebanon

    26.Mauritius

    27.Monaco

    28.Mongolia

    29.Montenegro

    30.Morocco

    31.Mozambique

    32.Myanmar

    33.Namibia

    34.New Zealand

    35.Nicaragua

    36.Palau

    37.Paraguay

    38.Rwanda

    39.Saint Lucia

    40.Serbia

    41.South Korea

    42.Tajikistan

    43.Thailand

    44.Tunisia

    45.Turkey

    46.Turkmenistan

    47.Uganda

    48.Ukraine

    49.Uruguay

    50.Uzbekistan

    51.Vatican City

    52.Venezuela

    53.Vietnam

    54.Zambia

“The European Union has an internal process to determine from which countries it would be safe to accept travellers,” EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said last Thursday, adding that its decisions are “based on health criteria.”

On June 11, the Commission presented its recommendation on the reopening of internal Schengen borders on June 15, so that Europeans can travel within the borderless area freely, just as they did pre-pandemic.

At the same time, the Commission recommended that the Member States should start allowing third-country nationals to enter the EU starting from July 1, gradually and partially, based on the epidemiological situation in each third-country.