Although Americans are permitted to visit most European countries, the US government is still imposing a travel ban for the 26-nation-block citizens. The first travel ban imposed on European countries was announced in March 2020, when the former president of the United States, Donal Trump, introduced the thirty-day initial prohibition.
Since March 2020, there have been a few attempts from the US government to relax its entry restrictions for European countries, starting with those with low Coronavirus rates.
“We’ll be doing certain announcements on other countries, including Europe, as we move along. And where they’re making progress, we’ll start to open it up. But only where they’re making progress. They’re making good progress. I think we’re making very good progress,” Trump said.
However, the US travellers were welcomed to Croatia even last year, despite other EU countries banning American tourists. According to an official notice, all other foreign nationals, including US citizens, were allowed to enter Croatia for business, tourism, or other personal reasons if they provide the relevant proof, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Moreover, Croatia once again announced it is ready to welcome the American travellers in May, and since then, kept its borders open for them.
“It is our duty to provide all the prerequisites for a safe and comfortable trip, as well as predictable vacation planning. In that sense, Croatia is among the first, if not the first, European destination that already applies broader criteria for tourist visits, the same ones that should soon be applied at the EU,” the Minister of Tourism Nikola Brnjac said.
Since March, Iceland has also opened its borders for vaccinated Americans, becoming the first country to permit vaccinated passengers to enter the country.
In June, Denmark followed suit, permitting fully vaccinated US travellers despite the EU Commission not advising to do so. Netherlands, Portugal and Frankfurt, also started to operate their trans-Atlantic flights with the US.
Alongside Germany, Italy had loosened its restrictions for US travellers by permitting them to enter only if they used a ‘COVID-tested’ flight to get there. Now, travellers are only required to provide proof of vaccination, proof of recovery, or a negative COVID-19 test result upon arrival.
On the other hand, the Spanish government allowed vaccinated Americans to visit their country, including unvaccinated travellers, without undergoing entry requirements.
The case has not been the same with the US. Though the country has several times noted that it plans to remove the entry ban on Europeans, such a thing has not happened yet, and so far, European have been banned from travelling to the US for 525 days now.
The last time the US announced it is planning to remove the travel ban on Europeans was in July when president Joe Biden commented during a news conference with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
“It’s in the process of (considering) how soon we can lift the ban … and I will be able to answer that question to you within the next several days,” Biden said.
However, a week later, sources from the White House revealed that the American government did not intend to lift restrictions due to a surge in Coronavirus Delta variant infection rate detected in the EU.
Following these circumstances, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, who previously urged the EU to lift entry restrictions on Europeans, called on the US to abolish the travel ban for Europeans, saying this situation must not drag on for weeks.
Previously, the EU representatives asked for the US to lift the entry restrictions for business travellers, noting that 60 per cent of investments in the US come from them and that this barrier is seriously damaging their businesses. Furthermore, the EU’s top diplomat in Washington, Stravos Lambridindinis, called this approach a mistake and criticised the US for keeping European business executives from overseeing their investments.
The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) urged President Biden to end the travel ban through a letter which was signed by CEO, Dr Joe Leader and COO, Russ Lemieux, Lauren Costello, executive director, and the US policy director, Michael Taylor. The letter also noted that this ban isn’t based on scientific proof, and it is keeping families divided at a time they need the most to be united.
The World Health Organisation data reveals that 620 deaths were reported in the US in the last 24 hours, whereas 141,652 people tested positive with Coronavirus. Since the pandemic struck, the US has reported 614,267 deaths related to COVID-19, and 36,099,344 people were infected with the virus.
On the other hand, as of August 18, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control data shows that 35,381,520 positive cases and 746,566 deaths have been reported across the European continent.
