EUROPE. Transport and tourism associations in Europe have expressed concern at the patchwork of travel rules that have emerged across the region amid the latest wave of COVID-19. They are calling for harmony in how the EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) is treated by states.
In December the European Commission announced that the DCC would be valid for nine months without a booster shot, several EU countries – including France, Italy, Denmark and Malta – decided to shorten the validity of vaccination passes for national use to seven or three months. A number of countries have also introduced additional testing requirements for vaccinated or recovered EU travellers, going against current EU Council recommendations.
An alliance of trade associations, which includes Airlines for Europe (A4E), Airports Council International (ACI), Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC) among others, said that the “emerging discrepancies are worrying” as nation states apply varying rules on travel.
They noted that travel and tourism has been hit harder than other sectors of the economy, and that a coordinated response was required.
“Although the pandemic has been raging for the last two years, several EU Member States continue to act unilaterally, adopting a different DCC validity period, as well as diverging rules regarding children and young adults below 18 years old. This will have a direct impact on families wanting to travel for the winter holidays and later on this spring.
“This inconsistency in travel restrictions across the EU directly impinges on individual passengers and businesses to schedule future trips and holiday bookings. The transport and tourism industry still sees booking rates at least -3% below 2021 levels.”
They also noted that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s (ECDC) most recent guidance has focused on other measures and not included travel restrictions. As reported, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has underlined the failure of travel restrictions to limit international spread of Omicron and points out the “ineffectiveness of such measures over time”.
The parties stated: “The emergence of non-co-ordinated travel restrictions across the EU jeopardises the DCC’s objective – to support safe and free movement across the EU. We urge governments to stop deviating from this consistent approach and ensure a clear and harmonised process at a European level.
“The travel and tourism sectors have already suffered greatly at the hands of the pandemic, with economic consequences set to continue for years to come. Now more than ever, co-ordination between national governments to provide clear, safe and consistent rules is needed, to support traveller confidence, ‘save’ the summer season and ultimately ensure economic recovery.”
