European Union green lights Australian travellers in move to ease coronavirus travel restrictions

Travellers from Australia and 13 other countries will be allowed into the European Union as the bloc moves to open its border while minimising the coronavirus threat.

The EU will continue to ban travellers from the US and most other countries beyond July 1, EU diplomats told German news agency dpa.

The 14 countries that made it onto the list of states to be allowed into the bloc include Australia, Canada, and Thailand.

Australian citizens and residents are currently banned from travelling overseas without an exemption.

Chinese citizens will be allowed into the EU in principle — but only once China lifts its ban on EU citizens.

The European Council has now initiated the formal written procedure to pass the agreement, according to EU diplomats.

The agreement comes three months after the EU — plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein — closed its external borders to all non-essential travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It follows weeks of intense discussions between EU member states about which countries the group should open its borders to and which ones to ban.

The rules will take into account epidemiological factors, such as the number of new infections, and whether the trend of cases is stable or decreasing.