European travel made easy? EU recommends member states ease restrictions

Travel restrictions may soon ease up across the European Union.

The European Council, on Tuesday (Feb. 22), recommended its member states "lift the temporary restriction on non-essential travel" into the EU for those who have either been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or recovered from the virus within the last 180 days.

Citing the “evolution of the pandemic,” increased vaccination and booster doses, as well as the growing number of vaccine certificates issued worldwide, the Council said its new guidance will start on March 1, 2022.

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Member states should allow non-essential travel for persons vaccinated with an EU or WHO-approved vaccine, recovered persons and “all persons travelling from a country on the EU list,” the Council said.

“For some of these travellers, additional measures such as PCR testing before travel could apply.”

The Council is not recommending testing for children under age six, but says older children "should be allowed to travel with a negative PCR test taken at the earliest 72 hours before departure."

“Member states could require additional testing after arrival, as well as quarantine or isolation,” the Council stated.

EU recommendations are non-binding as member states maintain control over their own rules.

However, countries do tend to listen when recommendations are made, as was seen last June when the Council recommended lifting restrictions.  

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