Customers queue for a lunch on the terrace of a restaurant in Nice as cafes, bars and restaurants reopen after closing down for months amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France. (Reuters-Yonhap)

BRUSSELS (AFP) EU member states agreed Wednesday to reopen the bloc‘s borders to travellers who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, European sources said.

Meeting in Brussels, diplomats also agreed to increase the level of new cases a country can hit before being declared unsafe a measure that would open up travel into the EU from more places.

The recommendations will be adopted by EU ministers on Friday, they said.

Currently, non-essential travel into the 27-member European Union is banned, apart from a small number of countries deemed safe because of their low Covid case rate.

But businesses on the continent are reopening as virus restrictions are phased out and bars, hotels and restaurants are worried about the summer tourist trade.

Diplomats said that, under the new rules, travellers who could demonstrate that they had received the required number of doses of an EU-approved vaccine could enter the EU.

In addition, the number of cases per 100,000 people that a country could register over two weeks and still be considered for the green list will rise from 25 to 75.

This would still exclude non-vaccinated travellers from much of the world, but could allow travel from, for example, Britain, which is well-advanced in its vaccination campaign. 

Words in this Article

outbreak - n. a time when something suddenly begins, especially a disease or something else dangerous or unpleasant

diplomat - n. an official whose job is to represent one country in another, and who usually works in an embassy

deem - v. to consider or judge something in a particular way

demonstrate -v. to show or make something clear

measure - n. amount or degree

Comprehension Quiz

What is the article mainly about?

What did the EU member states and diplomats agree on?

Under the new rules, what could the travelloers demonstrate?

What can you tell about the 'green list' based on this article?