It seems that the European Commission has agreed on a non-binding approach on how to deal with the movement of people from the UK into Europe and vice verse.
The full statement is at https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2520.
In summary, the recommend the following:
- All non-essential travel to and from the UK should be discouraged until further notice.
- EU citizens and UK citizens travelling to their Member State or country of residence as well as third-country nationals that enjoy EU free movement rights should be exempted from further temporary restrictions provided that they undergo a test or quarantine.
- Travellers with an essential function, for instance, medical staff, should be required to undergo a test (RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen test within 72 hours before departure), but should not be required to quarantine while whilst conducting this essential function.
- Transport staff, within the EU, should be exempted from any travel ban across any border and from testing and quarantine requirements when they are travelling across a border to and from a vessel, vehicle, or aircraft. Where a Member State, in the specific context of the situation between the EU and the UK and in the coming days, requires rapid antigen tests for transport workers, this should not lead to transport disruptions.
- Transit of passengers, especially for essential travel, should be facilitated without quarantine. A test can be required, but authorities need to inform about such requirement in advance or offer testing during the journey.
- Given the need to ensure essential travel and transit home as described in the recommendation, any prohibition of transport services, such as flight or train bans, should be discontinued.
- Cargo flows need to continue uninterrupted, in accordance with the Green Lanes and the Air Cargo Communication, not least to ensure the timely distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, for example.
- The public health authorities of the Member States should increase sequencing efforts and analyse virus isolates in a timely manner to swiftly identify cases of the new variant. They should also immediately identify cases involving persons who travelled to or from the UK in the past 14 days or who are close contacts of confirmed cases in order to ensure the appropriate follow up (eg. RT-PCR testing, isolation, enhanced contact tracing).
However, it is important to note that this is non-binding and members are free to control their borders as they wish.
In light of the changes, the following countries have changed their stances:
- The Netherlands – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/netherlands – As of 00:01 (CET) on Wednesday 23 December the Dutch Government will permit passengers from the UK with a negative COVID-19 test to travel to the Netherlands. The test must be no older than 72 hours and must be presented before travel. This requirement applies to passengers on airplanes and passenger ferries. You may be asked to present your PCR test to the authorities upon arrival in the Netherlands.
- France – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france – From 24:00 (CET) on 22 December, until at least 6 January (subject to a possible review), only the following categories of people will be authorised to travel to France from the UK:
- French nationals and nationals of the European Area
- British and/or third-country nationals who are either permanently resident in France, the European Union or the European Area, or who must travel for certain essential reasons (as specified by the French government).
- All travellers from the UK, including children aged 11 and above, will need to present a negative COVID-19 test result, carried out less than 72 hours before departure.
- Belgium – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/belgium – The Belgian Government has extended the suspension of passenger travel from the UK until 23:59 on 22 December. From 23 to 31 December, the Belgium Government will allow entry into Belgium from the UK for certain categories of travel, which are defined on the website of the Belgian Embassy to the UK. This includes
- Belgian citizens
- Holders of residence permits with their main residence in Belgium
- A limited number of strictly necessary travels which cannot be postponed from the United Kingdom to Belgium.
For now, keep an eye on FCDO Travel Advice site at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
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