American tourists who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed to travel to the European Union (EU) this summer. This is what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday in an interview with New York times.
Non-essential travel from the United States to the European Union was banned over a year ago to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The rapid pace of vaccination in the United States and advanced discussions between US and European authorities over vaccination certificates mean that a change in policy is now possible, according to Von der Leyen. According to the chairperson, the United States is on track to vaccinate 70 percent of the population by mid-June.
“Americans, to the best of my knowledge, are using vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This allows freedom of movement and travel to the European Union,” von der Leyen said. “Because one thing is certain: all 27 members of the European Union will unconditionally accept anyone vaccinated with EMA-approved vaccines.”
The EMA has approved all three vaccines used in the United States. These are the vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer / BioNTech, and Janssen.
In the interview, von der Leyen does not indicate the exact time when tourists from the United States will be welcomed into the European Union again. It also did not provide further details on what the flights would look like.
