EU leaders differ on Covid-19 restrictions / Article

EU leaders differ on the limits of Covid-19Artyom Konohov00:00 / 02:32

—

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed regret that European countries still pursue different policies towards immigrants from other parts of the world. This is especially true for British tourists, as the new Covid-19 is actively spreading in the country.

By contrast, many southern European countries have pointed to good vaccination rates, which allow restrictions to be relaxed. This is one of the topics of discussion at the European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

Europe still lacks a common approach to travelers from other parts of the world. Those countries in whose economies tourism plays an important role tend to treat travelers more freely, for example, from Great Britain. By contrast, more northern countries, such as Germany, want tougher restrictions.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already publicly criticized Portugal for allowing British tourists free entry. As a result, there is now an outbreak of new cases of Covid-19 in Portugal and restrictions were introduced in Lisbon. It can be expected that Spain will also receive a dose of criticism, which admits British tourists without special checks.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antoniu Košta said that his country had done everything according to the rules: “Merkel is right that we need to act in a coordinated way. Portugal has always done so, both at internal and external borders. Her statements are a misunderstanding, because we have always acted in accordance with European Union rules. At the time, we were admitting British tourists, because the incidence rate in their country was in line with the European threshold. When entering Portugal, the British are still obliged to pass the test. “

Latvia currently requires immigrants from Great Britain to spend time in quarantine. Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš pointed out that this is the right approach: We need to be vigilant. I’m not panicking in any way, but the experience we have now is, these options are quite dangerous, so we have to be vigilant all this summer. “

However, southern European countries believe that vaccination is taking place smoothly enough to allow as many people as possible to enjoy summer holidays. In addition, the population is tired of the pandemic and in many places refuses to comply with the restrictions.

Given these differences, it can be predicted that in the near future countries will not be able to agree on more similar travel conditions and that each government will remain in order.

–