EU Member States will decide individually whether or not to reopen borders with the Western Balkans after July 1.
Two weeks ago, the European Commission recommended EU Member States reopen borders on July 1 and resume flights as normal, on grounds that, at the time, coronavirus infection rates in the Western Balkans seemed encouragingly low.
However, during the past two weeks, the region has seen a significant increase in coronavirus infected cases, in part due to countries reopening and businesses restarting their activity.
The European Commission’s spokesperson for migration Adalbert Jahnz told Radio Free Europe that now it is up to Member States to individually decide whether or not to lift travel restrictions for Western Balkans citizens.
The European Commission can only recommend reopening borders, Jahnz said, but final decisions belong to each individual countries.
