Foreign Minister. Portugal followed rules on letting Brits in
"It is difficult to understand the positions of some member state governments who now want to propose new criteria", said the Portugals' foreign minister.
Portugal’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that Portugal has complied with public health rules regarding the entry of British tourists, following Angela Merkel’s criticism of European discoordination on travel in the European Union.
“What we said was that British travellers coming to Portugal, presenting a negative test on arrival, can enter Portugal. I don’t see that it is in any way, shape or form, to open up Portugal to the British without the care of checking their health conditions concerning Covid-19,” Augusto Santos Silva told the parliamentary European Affairs committee.
“It is difficult to understand the positions of some member state governments who now want to propose new criteria. What we did concerning the British is what will be mandatory within the EU, from 1 July,” the minister also said, who was responding to a question on travel rules for EU citizens.
On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised the lack of common rules in the European Union (EU) regarding travel, giving as an example the situation of increased contagions in Portugal, which in her view “could have been avoided”, alluding in particular to the permission given by Portugal, which currently presides over the EU Council, to the entry of tourists – such as the British.