EU border app for helps tourists plan in age of virus

Can I go on holiday to Spain? Will I face quarantine? Have the museums and restaurants re-opened yet?

From Monday, as European Union member states accelerate the reopening of their frontiers, tourists' questions will be answered by an official European Union website.

On "Re-open EU" or reopen.europa.eu, travelers can enter the name of the country they hope to visit and find out what the rules are in the wake of the corona-virus lockdown.

The site is available in 24 languages so far covers only the 27 European Union member states -- there is no information for Britain nor the four non-EU members of the Schengen travel zone. 

A resident of France, for example, can consult the site to find out that high speed rail links to Luxembourg are being restored progressively and are at 60 percent of normal.

If he or she wants to go to Austria a face mask is required on the train, and before flying home to France he or she will need to provide a statement of honor that they have no corona-virus symptoms.

The site and an eventual app will be updated as the situation evolves.

Most EU countries reopened their internal borders within the block on Monday, but social distancing rules vary widely across the bloc and some members continue to restrict arrivals from high-risk areas.  

Source - TheJakartaPost

EU looks to save summer holiday

 The EU will present recommendations on Wednesday to save the summer season in Europe’s reeling tourism sector, which has been pounded by the coronavirus crisis.

The European Commission will urge EU countries to gradually reopen shuttered internal borders and to above all treat each member state on the same criteria.

According to a draft seen by AFP, the Commission insists that reopening of everyday life after the pandemic must be done in a "concerted" and "non-discriminatory" manner and must remain "as harmonious as possible".

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The points are only recommendations on the part of the EU's executive as it is up to national governments to decide whether to lift the restrictions put in place to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Brussels recommends that when countries are in a comparable epidemiological situation and have adopted the same precautionary measures, they should be treated in the same way.

If, for example, Austria opens its borders with Germany, it must also open its borders with the Czech Republic if that country is in a comparable situation to Germany.

Similarly, when a country opens its borders with another country, it must do so for all the residents of that country, whether or not they are nationals of that country. 

This issue of restoring freedom of movement within the passport-free Schengen area is crucial for European tourism, a sector which accounts for 10 percent of the EU's GDP and 12 percent of employment.

In some southern European countries, such as Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, this impact is even greater and if holidaymakers were to stay home, their already bad economic situation could worsen further.

In its recommendations, the commission also addresses the thorny issue of whether or not to reimburse cancelled trips and holidays.

Under EU rules, the European consumer is entitled to a cash refund, but many operators and airlines prefer to offer a credit instead.

"Carriers and tour operators should follow a common approach, offering passengers and travellers an attractive choice between a cash refund, in line with their rights under EU law, or the acceptance of a voucher," the document said.

Late last month, 12 European countries asked the European Commission to suspend the obligation for airlines to reimburse passengers whose journeys have been cancelled because of the coronavirus. 

Source - TheJakartaPost