From that date, UK travelers will be subject to the same travel restrictions as all other non-EU countries – due to the coronavirus epidemic – ban travel to all of Europe, a European Commission official told CNN on Thursday.
A European Commission official said: “The UK is not part of the Schengen area and after the expiration of the transition period – it will no longer treat any member state in the same way. To them [EU] Council’s recommendation for a ban on outbound travel. ”
The criteria for a recommendation by the European Council is based primarily on whether a particular country’s epidemic situation is better or less than that of the EU.
It also includes other factors such as “physical distances, as well as economic and social considerations”.
The recommendation states that mutual arrangements governing whether EU citizens are allowed to travel to that country should be considered “on a regular basis and on a case-by-case basis.” Is. “
In October, EU member states decided that only eight countries meet the criteria for a “safe country”, including Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
The European Commission official said: “The Council is responsible for reviewing the list of third countries where the travel ban has been lifted and for this the Council will need to consider the inclusion of the UK.
A European Council official told CNN that the next review would look at the UK, along with other non-EU countries, in the week of December 14.
“The list of countries for which sanctions should be lifted is reviewed and, as may be the case, may be updated regularly,” the council official said. January 1. “
Essential travel is categorized into 11 areas, including healthcare professionals, commuters, diplomats, and people traveling for urgent family reasons.
CNN’s Jack Guy contributed to this report.
