American tourists who have been fully vaccinated will be able to visit the European Union this summer, president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told the New York Times on Sunday.
While a timeline and rollout will “depend on the epidemiological situation,” von der Leyen said, “the situation is improving in the United States, as it is, hopefully, also improving in the European Union.”
As of Tuesday, 29% of US citizens have been fully vaccinated, and 42% have received at least one dose, according to the CDC.
Von der Leyen added that the EU’s drugs regulator, European Medicines Agency (EMA), has approved the three vaccines currently being administered in the US: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.
“All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA,” she told the New York Times.
But even if the EU recommends that its bloc start welcoming fully vaccinated US tourists, that doesn’t mean US travelers will be able to visit all countries in the bloc.
Restrictions will likely be determined by each individual country, the Wall Street Journal reported.
This means that if you are fully vaccinated and travel to Croatia without the need to quarantine or present a COVID-19 test, you may not be able to do the same for a neighboring country like Hungary.
Croatia is one of a handful of EU countries that are allowing vaccinated travelers to bypass entry restrictions like quarantine.
Other member countries, like Norway, have entry restrictions in place for all incoming travelers.
As travel restrictions shift, this easy-to-use interactive travel map that updates in real-time shows where you can travel based on your departure location and vaccination status, while this list highlights places around the world making travel easier for vaccinated travelers.
Source: Business Insider
