EU seeks elusive funding on road to recovery

Restrictions lifted

Several EU countries, including Belgium, Germany and France, announced they would lift restrictions on travel and quarantine with other EU and Schengen Area states from Monday this week.

During the weekend, France said travelers from the UK would have to submit to a 14-day quarantine period, a reciprocal move to measures imposed in the UK on arrivals from the EU and elsewhere. France plans to gradually reopen to travelers from non-Schengen areas from July 1.

Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Schallenberg announced the lifting of travel restrictions on 31 European nations from June 16. Arrivals from the UK, Sweden, Spain and Portugal must present a negative COVID-19 test and remain in quarantine for 14 days.

On June 4, Austria opened its borders with neighbors Germany, Switzerland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

However, some EU member states are not ready to open their borders yet.

On Sunday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his country would reopen to arrivals from Schengen Area countries from June 21, but the border with Portugal would remain closed until July 1.

Spain is among the nations worst-hit by COVID-19, with a quarter of a million confirmed cases and more than 27,000 deaths. But the numbers have fallen, with 500 new cases and no deaths recorded on Saturday.

Greece is also reopening its borders in stages to mass tourism, starting this week. The country will also allow international arrivals at all its airports and sea ports from July 1.

Greece, which was visited by 33 million people last year, is expecting a huge drop in arrivals this year.

"We don't know the real impact on GDP," local newspaper Kathimerini quoted Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as telling foreign media on Saturday at the end of a visit to the island of Santorini, one of the country's top tourist attractions.

Tourism accounts for about 30 percent of the Greek economy and some 20 percent of jobs in the country. Greece's GDP is expected to shrink by 9.7 percent this year and rebound by 7.9 percent next year. Unemployment is forecast to reach 19.9 percent this year, according to the European Commission.

As of Monday, Greece had reported 3,112 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 183 deaths from the disease.

"A lot will depend on whether people feel comfortable to travel and whether we can project Greece as a safe destination," Mitsotakis said.