The EU intends to exclude Serbia and Montenegro from its safe list of countries whose citizens are allowed to travel to the EU amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EU Presidency made a similar proposal and was supported by several states, including France, Spain, and the Netherlands, officials told Reuters.

According to officials, two Balkan countries should be removed from the list due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

EU member states also discussed the exclusion of Algeria and Morocco, but most opposed this step because the numbers there are still relatively low.

Luxembourg and Cyprus supported the UAE, but other countries opposed, officials said. Cyprus proposals for listing Israel, Libya, and Jordan were also rejected.

After the exclusion of Serbia and Montenegro, 13 countries will remain on the list. These are Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay.