EU list 15 safe countries on non-essential travel; Ghana not included

The European Union flag | Håkan Dahlström/Flickr

The Council of the European Union has adopted a recommendation on the lifting of the ban on non-essential travel into the EU, and created a list of 15 “safe” third countries from today, 1st July 2020.

As Ghana’s covid19 cases continues to rise, the European Union could not take chances to enlist Ghana.

Travel restrictions are being lifted for the 15 countries listed in the recommendation, with this list being reviewed and, as the case may be, updated every two weeks. The initial list, valid from July 1st, includes the following countries:

  • Algeria
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Georgia
  • Japan
  • Montenegro
  • Morocco
  • New Zealand
  • Rwanda
  • Serbia
  • South Korea
  • Thailand
  • Tunisia
  • Uruguay
  • China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity

The statement said for countries where travel restrictions continue to apply, the following categories of people should continue to be exempted from the restrictions:

  • EU citizens and their family members
  • long-term EU residents and their family members
  • travelers with an essential function or need, as listed in the Recommendation.

The Council highlights that the recommendation is not a legally binding instrument. The authorities of the member states remain responsible for implementing the content of the recommendation. They may, in full transparency, lift only progressively travel restrictions towards countries listed.

A Member State should not decide to lift the travel restrictions for non-listed third countries before this has been decided in a coordinated manner.

GHM News