The European Union left Cuba is off the list of countries that may enter its territory after the opening of borders, which will begin gradually as of July 1.
The conditions evaluated for the selection of the countries that will have access to the European states were the coronavirus incidence and the number of current active cases, and also reciprocity, that is, that the country allows European citizens to enter its territory.
The decision was finally agreed upon this Monday by the permanent representatives of the Member States to the European Union, after several weeks of negotiation.
According to two drafts of the list to which he had access The New York Times, the European Community would have contemplated the inclusion of Cuba in the list of countries that the Schengen nations will be able to visit once the international borders are reopened, but it was finally not included in the final list.
The list maintains the veto of more than 150 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, India, Venezuela and Cuba.
The decision of the banned countries has generated a certain stir, since although the criterion of reciprocity is explicit – which would apply in the case of Cuba, which still maintains its borders closed –, on the list there are countries like Algeria, whose citizens will have free access to the European Union and which also has its borders closed.
Furthermore, China is pending inclusion if the Chinese government authorizes the entry of European citizens to the Asian country, an 'opportunity' that has not been given to other countries in which the criterion of reciprocity has excluded them from the list.
Among the countries that will have permission to enter European territory once the borders open are Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Georgia, Morocco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.
However, inclusion on the list will not guarantee the entry of people from those countries to all countries in the Schengen community. Each European nation will be able to decide if it does not consider travelers from a particular place trustworthy.
The European Union plans to review the list every 15 days, to add new safe countries or exclude some that are already there but whose epidemiological situation appears compromised.
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