Former Swedish Prime Minister says EU restrictions on US visitors are a reciprocal measure
Sweden’s former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt, has concluded that the restrictions that EU Member States impose on arrivals from the United States are a reciprocal measure that had to take place.
According to the former Prime Minister, with figures showing that 70 percent of the adult European population has been vaccinated, which is more than the vaccination rate in the US, the latter should review its decision to keep restrictions in place for those traveling from the EU, reports SchengenVisaInfo. com.
“Yes, it is with the United States because the United States has restrictions on Europeans. And since the EU now has more vaccinations than the US has, this is a kind of signal to the US that maybe we should look at this again, he says. Bildt said in a 60-second interview for GZERO Media and commented on the US proposal to introduce new travel restrictions.
In addition, earlier in August, through another one-minute interview, the minister said that even if an agreement is reached between Washington and Brussels regarding the current travel situation, there is a possible risk that Europeans will say that if the Americans prevent us from entering their country, we will stop them too, exist. In his view, such a development would be unpleasant.
On 30 August, the Council of the European Union advised the Member States to reintroduce entry restrictions for non-essential travel from the United States as it had exceeded the established COVID-19 infection criteria.
Although the Council’s recommendation was addressed to all Member States, it is not legally binding to impose restrictions on the United States, which means that each country may decide whether or not to reintroduce the entry ban.
Sweden decided to follow the advice of the Council to reintroduce strict entry restrictions from travelers coming from the United States. Consequently, the Swedish authorities announced that since 6 September, only Americans who enter the country for essential purposes are allowed to enter, regardless of their vaccination status.
However, the Swedish Ministry of Justice has noted that vaccinated American travelers may soon be exempted from the entry ban, provided that they have completed the vaccination process with one of the shots that have been approved for use.
In addition to Sweden, the EU Council’s recommendation was also followed by several other Member States. Italy was the first country to adopt such advice. Consequently, all travelers from the United States who have been vaccinated or not now are required to provide a PCR or rapid antigen test result taken within 72 hours of arrival and complete a digital passenger form.
>> These are the EU countries that have so far tightened their entry restrictions for American travelers