Russia is not included in list of countries for which EU will open borders on July 1

The European Union has not included Russia in the list of countries for which borders will open on July 1, TASS reports.

It is reported that the decision is related to the epidemiological situation in Russia.

“Russia needs more time since the virus began to spread actively there later than in European states,” the source of the delegation of one of the EU states to the agency said.

Meanwhile, according to the speaker, the list of states whose citizens are allowed to enter the EU will be constantly reviewed and updated.

“As soon as it becomes clear that the epidemiological situation in Russia has improved, we will include it in the list. It’s in the interests of all parties, believe me,” the diplomat added.

The European Commission has recommended starting the phased opening of borders on July 1. The decision for each individual country should be based on the epidemiological situation and measures to control the spread of COVID-19. The European Commission instructed the EU member states to open internal borders by the end of June. Moreover, according to community standards, all legal decisions on border crossing procedures are not made by the EU institutions, but by the governments of its member states.