The United States was added to the European Union’s safe travel list on Wednesday, making it easier for American citizens to take a vacation in one of the 27 member states this summer.
The decision was made by the EU, which is now welcoming travel from eight new countries and territories including the U.S., Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Lebanon, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong, according to CNBC.
Travel has not been allowed from the U.S. to the EU since the pandemic began last year. But with vaccination rates continuing to rise, 27 EU ambassadors based in Brussels recommended that the region allow nonessential travelers from the eight countries.
Among those still left out: the United Kingdom. The EU decided to continue blocking travel from the U.K. due to the current levels of the Delta variant there.
In April, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sat down with the New York Times, saying that fully vaccinated American tourists would be allowed to visit this summer.
This new recommendation could allow for U.S. tourists to visit with only a negative test and avoid the need for a period of quarantine. Many of the decisions on how member nations of the EU will respond to tourists upon their arrival are left up to them. Travelers should check the rules for the country they intend to visit before going.
The EU also recently announced a new travel pass that will show if a person has been vaccinated, recently tested negative, or if they have recovered.
Airlines on both sides of the Atlantic have been asking governments to open trans-Atlantic travel after a long period of little to no traffic. Now, it looks as though travel may begin to resume its normal pattern within the coming months.
However, the U.S. still bars most non-citizens who have recently been in the EU from visiting the country at this time.