ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th May, 2020) Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio proposed on Tuesday that all EU countries resume free travel on June 15 to reboot tourism, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, drawing comparisons to the D-Day Normandy landings.
After a video conference with EU counterparts last week, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that his country and some other member states hoped to lift their international travel warnings on June 15. He stressed that it would be "not the day starting which one can go on vacation," but the day when the warning would be scrapped. Earlier on Tuesday, the dpa International news agency reported that the German cabinet may conclude an agreement on Wednesday to lift a travel warning for 31 European nations starting on June 15.
"We are working to make it possible for all in Europe to resume travel. June 15 may become a kind of European D-Day for tourism. Germany intends to open on this day, offering people an opportunity to go on vacation to other countries. Let us try to do it together," Di Maio told the Rai 1 channel.
The minister went on to note that Italy maintained contact on the matter with Austria and other EU members. Di Maio also rejected the idea of creating "transport corridors" between countries based on bilateral agreements.
Highlighting the importance of tourism for Italy, the minister stressed the need for universal rules and regulations nationwide, "so as not to disorient foreigners."
"All regions should give uniform instructions to tourists ... We need to ensure that regions do not make different decisions, otherwise, tourists will not know how to move from one region to another," Di Maio explained.
On June 3, Italy is expected to fully resume free travel within the country and reopen borders to EU tourists.
