European Union authorities removed Bosnia and Herzegovina as the last remaining country from the region on the list of the countries recommended for the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travels to the EU during the pandemic.

The Council published a new list on Friday, which now also includes Chile, Kuwait and Rwanda, apart from Australia, Canada, Jordan, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Ukraine, Uruguay and China.

The Republic of Moldova was also removed from the list alongside Bosnia.

“Non-essential travel to the EU from countries or entities not listed in Annex I is subject to temporary travel restriction. This is without prejudice to the possibility for member states to lift the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for fully vaccinated travellers,” said the official announcement.

The criteria to determine the third countries for which the current travel restriction should be lifted were updated on 20 May 2021, the Council reminded in the statement, noting that the criteria cover the epidemiological situation and overall response to COVID-19, as well as the reliability of the available information and data sources.

Schengen associated countries (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) also take part in this recommendation.

However, the Council's recommendation is not a legally binding instrument and the authorities of the member states remain responsible for implementing the content of the recommendation.