Europe travel is likely over for many Americans as the EU recommends countries bring back the ban on non-essential travel. The bloc is lifting the US from its safe list – which theoretically means a halt on tourism and leisure travel.
The EU, however, is leaving the door open for each country to decide on allowing travel to continue “for fully vaccinated travelers”.
Some felt the EU may stop short of a total travel ban – take 2 – and recommend new restrictions only for unvaccinated travelers. But officials in Brussels are taking a tougher stance as Covid cases in the US soar.
How this spells out for vaccinated as opposed to unvaccinated travelers now depends on individual country policies. Either way, American travelers will face hurdles under the new restrictions. Though Europe may largely target the unvaccinated.
(*UPDATE: This is the case already in Italy, read the latest story on that here).
This after three months of travel freedoms for Americans in Europe. Since June, American residents have enjoyed free-rein US-to-Europe while the travel ban on Europeans remained. And what was once known as the Trump travel ban, became the Biden ban.
EU members can enforce new restrictions if, and as, they wish. Other countries coming off the safe list are Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.
What Does A New EU Europe Travel Ban On The US Mean?
Member states can do what they want with the EU’s new Europe travel ban on the US. Given most have been welcoming American visitors for months, many will probably be reluctant to do so in full. Thus suddenly cutting off their economies from the American tourism dollar and returning to the dark days of a 15-month long ban until June 2021.
Some American travelers are reporting no vaccination certificate checks in Europe. Mark Hughes and his wife recently returned from two weeks in France, where they have an apartment near Paris. They found the lack of vaccination control surprising.
Travelers Must Check On Rules In Country They Are Heading To
Still, whether it will change things at ground level will depend on which country you are headed to – and what tack it takes. Each country will either be more relaxed or more strict on the rules. Making it a bit of a lottery for travelers, not knowing what they will face. So, it will be up to individual members to clearly inform travelers how they will interpret the rules and restrictions – and what travelers must expect. And it will also be up to travelers who are planning a trip to check on that policy well ahead.
Either way, it will definitely serve as a powerful disincentive to travel. If countries instead enforce a quarantine rule for the unvaccinated, travelers must cough up for the hotel quarantine bill.
Retaliation – Or Reaction To US Covid Case Numbers?
In June, the EU recommended Schengen countries lift the travel restrictions on the United States. This saw the floodgates lift and American tourists rush to Europe in the thousands for holidays. The freedoms were not reciprocal. And that lack of reciprocity has been a thorn in the side of many people, including European leaders.
“What essentially defines the transatlantic friendship are the many interpersonal relationships between Americans and Europeans,” tweeted German politician Norbert Röttgen in July.
“The #TravelBan is an enormous burden for friends and partners. That is the subject here. Our wish is a quick solution for fully vaccinated people!”
So much for that.
Was die transatlantische Freundschaft im Kern ausmacht, sind die vielen zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen zwischen Amerikanern & Europäern. Der #TravelBan ist für Freunde & Partner eine enorme Belastung. Das ist hier Thema. Unser Wunsch ist eine schnelle Lösung für Vollgeimpfte!
— Norbert Röttgen (@n_roettgen) July 14, 2021
Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, feels the EU may have seen the continuing US ban as a “breach of trust”. So instead of a two-way “you scratch my back, I scratch yours’ dynamic” he talks of, the lack of political goodwill from the US may just have backfired.
US Covid Case Numbers Soar Over EU Safe List Threshold
I think it’s a bit of both. Politics and science. The EU safe travel list has always been based on relative Covid stats. That’s to say, the Covid situation in Europe and visiting countries. But it also relies on reciprocity. According to Bruno Waterfield, The Time’s correspondent in Brussels, the decision to “blacklist American tourists” also comes down to a lack of fair play. “One key factor,” he writes, has been “America’s refusal since June to allow vaccinated European travellers to visit the US for non-essential reasons, such as tourism or visiting family members.”
But the “primary” reason is the spiraling Covid infections in the US. The EU safe list threshold is 75 new cases per 100,000 people over a fortnight. That rate in the US is over 300 per 100,000 according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control. But so too is France’s – currently at 467.
More Atlantic Power Balance – But New EU Travel Ban On US Is Big Blow For Travelers, Tourism, Airlines
The “Atlantic power imbalance”, as journalist Dave Keating put it early in August, just got a little bit more balanced. But it’s not going to help the #LoveIsNotTourism cause. Nor others, generally, who think the travel ban is a dinosaur, an anachronism.
In the seemingly endless Covid seesaw, there seems to be very little room for predictability or balance.
Now there’s a whole lot more haziness in store for US travelers who were heading Europe’s way. Thousands of travel plans will be up in the air. And speaking of up in the air, things for airlines forecasting more transatlantic flights later in the year are looking glum too. This will be a big hit for travelers, as well as the tourism and aviation industries.
The waiting game for seeing how the recommendation is implemented is a nail-biting one for travelers and tourism. And the result may be a complete disarray or different rules – even harder to negotiate. Use the re-open Europe app to that end.
As to how it complicates the already chaotic plight of Europeans seeking to get to the US, remains to be seen. But the travel gamble in both directions may return in full force.