Schengen Area

After almost four months, travellers from third-countries will finally be eligible to travel to the Schengen Area. Starting from July 1, the European Commission will start permitting non-EU and non-Schengen travellers to enter the borderless territory, gradually and partially.

Germany is in talks with Ankara over measures that could make it possible for German tourists to travel to Turkey for summer holidays, a senior government official said on June 4. 

Cyprus is launching a multilingual SMS campaign to head off more migrant arrivals by dispelling the mistaken belief the European Union member country is a gateway to the continent, the Cypriot interior minister said Sunday.

The closure of national borders has helped limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, but it's also dealt a devastating blow to tourism, travel and trade. That's especially true across the EU, where the bloc's Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson has called for a return to open borders as soon as possible.

For now, only Greece and Bulgaria have announced the opening of borders with Serbia.

Late in the evening on May 21, Bulgaria's Minister of Health, Kiril Ananiev, issued an order allowing representatives of firms and companies registered in the EU and the Schengen area to enter Bulgaria without the requirement for 14-day quarantine as of tomorrow, May 22.

The lifting of the ban also covers San Marino, the Principality of Andorra, Monaco and Vatican City State.

Many hotel groups in Greece are ready to reopen some of their seasonal units as soon as the government completes the operation protocols for protection from Covid-19. At the same time year-round hotels are gearing up to start accepting guests again on June 1.

The government has decided to open Greek borders for tourists from the European Union, the Schengen area and Israel by July 1 at the latest, but possibly even earlier, from mid-June, Kathimerini understands. 

The relevant announcements are expected on Wednesday or Thursday, along with the unveiling of the government's plan to support the tourist industry.

The Government of Conte seeks to save the tourist season and brings the arrival of Phase 3 two weeks ahead with the opening of bars, restaurants, beaches, and hairdressers.

Italy will reopen to European tourists from early June and scrap a 14-day mandatory quarantine period, the government said on May 16, as it quickened the exit from the coronavirus lockdown.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte enforced an economically crippling shut down in early March to counter a pandemic that has so far killed more than 31,500 people in Italy.