High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell, supported by the EEAS, the Commission and EU Delegations around the world, is leading the work to strengthen coordination among Member States to help EU citizens who are currently stranded outside the EU
To find out more on the Coronavirus response, visit the constantly updated page of the European Commission here.
The EEAS is supporting Member States with their consular assistance to EU citizens through its network of local consular correspondents in the 142 EU Delegations. The EU “consular toolkit” involves practical information to EU citizens in third countries on their options. This includes EU collaboration on repatriating EU citizens and advice on how to handle travel restrictions around the world.
“Repatriation efforts are aimed at EU travellers who have been stranded abroad. We are not talking about permanent residents (…) Our priority is to bring these people home”, said High Representative Josep Borrell in a video conference after the last Foreign Affairs Council. On Friday 27 March, the Commission proposed to make some extra €45 million available from the EU budget to help Member States repatriate EU nationals.
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The priority is to repatriate EU citizens via commercial flights. However, when this option is no longer possible, the European Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) of DG ECHO, together with EEAS and EU Member States, steps in to assess difficult situations worldwide demanding special assets (flights, ships). EU Member States can then activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), which coordinates and co-finances up to 75% of the special transport assets mobilised for repatriation.
Since the beginning of the outbreak, around 500.000 people have been flown back to Europe thanks to flights organised by the Member States. In addition, the UCPM has so far facilitated the repatriation of more than 33.000 EU citizens to Europe from China, Japan, the US, Morocco, Tunisia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Egypt, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, Cabo Verde, Georgia, Gambia, Senegal, Haiti, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Canada, Peru, Thailand, Nepal, Guatemala, Ghana, Jordan, Algeria, Peru and Seychelles.
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European Union