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Date Published: 12/05/2021
ARCHIVED - Spain delivers blow over proposed free PCR tests for travel to those who have not received their vaccine
Spain joins the majority of EU countries in rejecting plans to offer free PCR tests for travel to those who have not been vaccinated.
As travel begins to open up again across Europe, Spain has joined the majority of other EU member states in opposing a proposal to make PCR tests free for travellers who have not had their vaccine, in order to enable them to participate in the planned European Covid certificate scheme this summer.
The proposal is a condition required by the European Parliament to support the Covid certificate initiative, however Ana Paula Zacarias, the Secretary of State for the Portuguese EU, spoke at the Council of Ministers of General Affairs of the EU and said: “We cannot impose a test price in the European Union, it is a free market. But we can try to see if there are possibilities to make the tests cheaper.”
The governments in Valencia and the Balearics had last month called for EU funds to be used to offer free PCR tests for travellers following concerns that the high costs of tests could deter tourists.
This however, it appears, is not something which most EU member states feel to be appropriate.
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