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Taiwan added to EU travel safe list
By ECCT staff writers
Residents in Taiwan should soon be allowed to visit member states of the European Union (EU) for any reason after the regional bloc included Taiwan on its safe travel list on Friday.
According to an official press release from the European Council, Taiwan has been added to European Council’s list of 14 countries, as well as special administrative regions and other entities and territorial authorities for which it recommends that travel restrictions be lifted.
Taiwan joins the following countries already on list: Albania, Australia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United States, as well as China, which is subject to confirmation of reciprocity.
The list will be reviewed every two weeks based on criteria such as a country or territory's epidemiological situation and overall pandemic response, as well as the reliability of its Covid-19 data, according to the European Council.
According to a news report on CNA, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) welcomed the development, saying that it reflects the EU's confidence in Taiwan's response measures to the pandemic.
According to the report, MOFA urged Taiwanese nationals to inquire about relevant entry regulations of their destination as the list is not legally binding and each EU member state may have its own implementing details, such as whether a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is needed.
Meanwhile, the German Institute Taipei, the de facto Germany Embassy in Taiwan, announced on the same day that beginning 20 June, Germany will lift all travel restrictions for Taiwan's residents which were put in place after the Covid-19 pandemic erupted in early 2020, according to CNA.
According to current regulations, those who will visit Germany via air travel need to provide a Covid-19 test with negative results, proof of recovery from Covid-19, or evidence of vaccination upon entry.
