KUWAIT: Kuwait is not among a list of 54 countries whose citizens will be allowed into the European Union when borders open July 1. The draft list of countries, published by Schengen news, include Australia, Canada, Korea, Egypt, Georgia, India, Lebanon, New Zealand and Turkey among others. None of the Gulf Cooperation Council states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia or UAE – are listed.

“The European Union has an internal process to determine from which countries it would be safe to accept travelers,” EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said, adding that its decisions are “based on health criteria.”

At the same time, the Commission recommended that the member states should start allowing third-country nationals to enter the EU starting from July 1, gradually and partially, based on the epidemiological situation in each third-country.

The Commission recommended the following objective criteria for the member states, when drafting the list of countries, the citizens of which may visit the EU after July 1: epidemiological situation and coronavirus response in that country, the ability to apply containment measures during travel, and whether or not that country has lifted travel restrictions towards the EU.