European officials reacted with surprise and anger on Thursday after US President Donald Trump imposed a trans-Atlantic travel ban they fear will wound economies already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump closed US arrivals to travellers from the Schengenborder-free zone — which does not include Britain and Ireland — in what hesaid was an “aggressive” effort to contain the spread of the often deadlydisease.
But European leaders argue that their scientific advicesuggests travel restrictions are ineffective when the virus is already presentalmost worldwide, and lamented that they had not been consulted.
“The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to anycontinent, and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action,” EU chiefsUrsula von der Leyen and Charles Michel said.
“The European Union disapproves of the fact that the USdecision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and withoutconsultation,” the presidents of the European Commission and European Councilsaid. “The European Union is taking strong action to limit the spread of thevirus,” they insisted.Earlier,Michel had made it clear that what Brussels fears most is the economic hit fromthe ban, and he promised that EU experts would meet quickly. “Economic disruptionmust be avoided,” he said.