Spain Wants Hassle-Free Holidays in Fresh Call for EU Travel Borders To Reopen Together as International Tourism Returns This Summer

SPAIN wants no holiday hassles as it has called for travel borders across the EU to reopen together as international tourism returns to the country this summer.

Foreign visitors will be allowed on holiday to Spain with no quarantine restrictions from July, but the country wants its European Union colleagues to sort out a common framework on crossing borders to make life easier for everybody.

Spain´s Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez told Cadena Ser radio:.“We have to work with our European partners to define the common rules that will allow us retake freedom of movement on European territory.”

Countries across Europe appear to be working on different time frames over the phasing out of lockdown restrictions and differing international travel rules.

Arancha Gonzalez wants the Schengen Travel area to be restored, which for member countries like Spain and France means that people can freely travel between different parts of the EU without the need for passport checks.

“There has to be a set of common principles and rules throughout the Schengen area to open up internal borders and to establish rules for external borders,” she added.

The UK, even when it was a EU member, was not part of the Schengen border-free area.

Spain, along with Greece, has been positive in trying to get tourism going again which is an important part of the country´s economy

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced at the weekend the return of international tourism in a few weeks time, but for this to work, some kind of collective policy across the European Union appears to be essential, which explains the statement of Foreign Minister Gonzalez.

A clear issue also appears to be a scenario where holidaymakers are put off from making foreign bookings if their home country is still imposing quarantine restrictions when they arrive back.