Great news for all who are involved in or have interest in being part of the transatlantic supply chain: we are back in business. US and Canadian citizens are welcome in the EU again and a strong return of bookings on transatlantic routes is being anticipated. Still, it is only halfway – as European diplomats are pushing the Biden administration to reciprocate by lifting curbs for its citizens – in line with the vaccination campaign that is well underway in almost the entire EU. The low virus spread in Europe would allow for safe conditions for outgoing and incoming travellers.
Varying conditions per country
On June 18th, the United States was added to the European Union's approved list of countries for entry, ending a 15-month ban on travel from the United States to Europe due to the pandemic. On Wednesday, June 30th, European Union governments agreed to add Canada and 10 other countries to their list of states from which they will allow non-essential travel. Changes will take effect in the upcoming days and weeks.
Each member state of the European Union will have the option to impose additional requirements. Such as mandatory quarantine period, a negative PCR test or proof of vaccination. US travellers took over 36 million (!) trips to Europe in 2019, but the data from the European Travel Commission indicates that this figure fell to 6.6 million in 2020.
Traveling within Europe is also getting back to normal with the development of an EU COVID-19 Travel Certificate.
Exporting to Europe: the time is now
With the European economy recovering faster than anticipated, times are sweet for US & CA exporters across most industries. At EuroDev, we see positive signs. Tim Vaesen, Vice President at the company comments: “Travel plans are made for almost all of our engagements. We were able to do surprisingly good business for our customers the last 12 months but with the opportunity to add the human touch to the conversation – there are exciting times ahead.”
After US President Biden's visit to Europe, trade relations are renewed as well.
Trade shows of interest
The recent developments are amplified by trade shows that are committed to take place shortly after the summer. The automotive sector has the IAA Commercial Vehicles to look forward to in September, as well as the CMM (Connected mobile machines & mobility) in November. There are also various B2C tradeshows scheduled around wellness, cosmetics, baby and fashion products. Industrial companies anticipate the Parts2Clean show in October, an international trade fair for industrial parts and surface cleaning.
Check out our list of interesting EU trade shows in 2021 >
EuroDev is here to help
The European Business Development Group maintains partnerships with North American companies. Through the offering of a variety of business expansion services, EuroDev has played a pivotal role in the European expansion of over 400 North American companies since 1996.
Further reading:
- https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/us-international-travel-covid-19/index.html
- https://www.skyscanner.com/tips-and-inspiration/when-can-i-travel-to-europe-again
- https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/world/europe/eu-us-covid-tourism.html
- https://www.foxnews.com/travel/eu-lifting-covid-restrictions-us-tourists
- https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/eu-to-add-canada-10-other-states-to-safe-travel-list-1.5491385
