Federal and state politicians as well as business representatives reacted irritably to the decision of the US government to extend the entry restrictions for Europeans to the USA indefinitely because of the corona pandemic. “Unfortunately, this is disappointing news,” said the Bavarian Prime Minister and CSU leader Markus Söder Süddeutsche Zeitung. “We would have welcomed it if a personal connection to the USA were possible again.” This is “important for our partnership and economic exchange”. A government spokesman announced that the federal government had “taken note of the reports”. She is in contact with the US authorities to simplify transatlantic travel.
The government of US President Joe Biden extended the so-called “travel ban”, ie the entry restrictions in force since March 2020, again on Monday, although Chancellor Angela Merkel had also campaigned for easing in Washington in mid-July. The reasons given by Biden’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki were the highly contagious Delta variant and the increasing number of infections in the USA.
Söder admitted that the Delta variant required “the highest level of attention”. However, there are now effective protective measures against Corona. “With a double vaccination, distance and masks, travel is responsible, as long as the infection rate is under control on site,” said the Prime Minister. The CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen (CDU) had previously expressed clear criticism: “How long should this go on?” Asked the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag on twitter. The “travel ban” harms the transatlantic friendship, which is based on social contacts, and the economy on both sides. “Travel to the USA must finally be possible again!” Demanded Röttgen.
Tourists do not come to the US at all at the moment. There are also only a few exceptions for business travelers, especially in important areas of the infrastructure. European airlines have long been hoping for easing. Because at the moment the machines are often flying half empty across the Atlantic. “We would very much welcome the lifting of the restrictions and thus the possibility of entry into the USA for vaccinated, tested and recovered EU citizens,” said a Lufthansa spokesman.
The US business has historically been a major source of revenue and profit for the largest European airline. “American citizens with full vaccination protection have been able to enter the EU for weeks. The negative consequences of this opening are not known,” said Lufthansa.
The federal government’s coordinator for transatlantic relations, Peter Beyer (CDU), also regrets the decision of the US government. “It is a bit disappointing that the USA will not relax its entry restrictions for the Schengen area,” Beyer told the SZ. However, he also showed understanding: The Schengen area included countries with a currently very high incidence such as Spain and the Netherlands. “A special regulation for Germany is certainly out of the question, as this would contradict the idea of Europe and Schengen,” said Beyer. The vaccination rates also fluctuate significantly among the 26 members of the Schengen area, in which border controls have been abolished. While in Latvia only two out of five adults are fully protected, the value in Malta is 82.7 percent.
In Brussels, the EU Commission announced that they are still “in close contact” with the US government and hope that the transatlantic working group will be able to consult again soon. Washington has assured that travel facilities for EU citizens continue to have “high priority”, said a spokesman. However, the question remained unanswered as to whether the Biden government had informed in advance about the extension of the entry ban. Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also addressed this issue, which is important for many EU companies, at their summit with Biden in mid-June. But the democrat had promised no more than a “benevolent examination”, it was said in Brussels.
CDU politician Peter Beyer called Washington’s greater concession “desirable” after the EU had recently relaxed entry rules for US citizens. Beyer fears problems for the economy on both sides: “Especially German companies with branches in the USA need their engineers and mechanics on site for urgently needed maintenance and repair work,” he said. Many jobs in the USA also depended on it.
The Federation of German Industries made a similar statement. “With the entry bans, the US government is harming itself and others,” said BDI Managing Director Joachim Lang. Not only the many German companies active in the USA suffered from the restrictions, but also all those involved in the production network such as suppliers, partners and local customers. With 860,000 jobs, German companies are the third largest foreign employer in the US.