Americans to gain access to EU this summer?
The European Commission (EC) noted that US travellers could be granted access to the European Union (EU) thanks to the approval of Covid vaccines being used in the US
“The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines,” Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, was cited by The New York Times as saying. “This will enable free movement and the travel to the EU.”
Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc., and Johnson & Johnson – which are the elected Covid vaccinations in the US – have all been approved by the European Medicines Agency. And, as such, travel between the US and EU looks to be a possibility between the two regions.
However, the EC also reasoned that this was dependent on the epidemiological situation in both the US and EU, and that member states would still be able to set their own restrictions, including quarantines, on inbound travellers.
Still, in April, the US State Department issued ‘Do Not Travel’ advisories for about 80 per cent of the world’s nations, so it’s likely to be some time before the two regions will see reciprocal international travel movement. But, Americans are increasingly demanding travel insurance – so once travel does open up. There will be a big market for travel insurers to develop new cancellation- and Covid-related cover.