Europe Union to Canadians: Come On In

Europe Union to Canadians: Come On In

July 1, 2021 Jim Byers

The European Union says it will add 11 countries to the list of places from which it will permit non-essential travel, including Canada.

There were concerns earlier this week (see our story here) that Canadians who had received the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine would not be allowed into EU countries, but that appears to no longer be the case.

While the EU said it will open its doors, reports say individual EU countries can still opt to demand a negative COVID-19 test or a period of quarantine.

Ambassadors from the EU’s current members gave final approval to the measure at a meeting this week, and officials say the move should take effect in the vey near future.

Other nations approved this week include Armenia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Brunei.

Earlier this month, the EU announced that it would ease travel restrictions on the United States and four other countries: Albania, Lebanon, Serbia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Those five countries join nine other countries and the Chinese administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau from which EU dropped blanket travel restrictions, according to the website Skift.

But that doesn’t guarantee access to EU countries. Instead, all EU member nations can set their own policies on a country-by-country basis.

It’s all a bit confusing, but it does signify a wider opening for Europe and appears to give Canadians more travel options for the summer. It also could make it tougher for Canada to keep its borders closed, given that the EU is tossing an olive branch to Canada.