The EU continues to help EU Member States with the repatriation of their citizens stranded abroad due to increasing number of restrictions in third countries.
Via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism; Belgium brought back 223 EU Citizens from Tunisia this weekend, Germany continues to organise flights to bring back EU citizens from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, the Philippines, Argentina and the Dominican Republic. Latvian planes will bring EU citizens home from Georgia, while Lithuania will repatriate Europeans from Indonesia. Czechia will organize repatriation flights from Egypt, Vietnam and the Philippines. Poland will repatriate citizens from Chad, Sudan, Nepal, and the Maldives and the United Kingdom will fly UK nationals and EU citizens home from Peru.
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has so far facilitated the repatriation of 1,381 EU citizens to Europe from Wuhan (China), Japan, Oakland (USA), Morocco, and Tunisia since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Both High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, with the European External Action Service and the Emergency Response Coordination Centre, are working to support swift return of EU citizens from third countries
Background
The Commission is helping Member States to co-ordinate assistance and consular repatriation operations to EU citizens worldwide.
Once a Member States activates the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) coordinates all actions with the European External Action Service and with Member States in EU capitals. It can also co-finance transportation costs up to 75%. Non-EU citizens can also benefit from this assistance.
Source: European Commission, https://ec.europa.eu/echo/news/coronavirus-new-round-repatriations-eu-citizens-civil-protection-mechanism_en