Spain Opens the border with Portugal today but with no Moroccan arrivals and no throat swab tests

Spain reopens the border with Portugal today but delays the reopening of its external borders with non-EU countries by a couple of days. 

TODAY, the EU will generally lift this restriction on travel abroad, and, in addition to the temporary veto on arrivals from China agreed by the 27 EU states, the travel ban from Morocco will be added, because Rabat also keeps its borders closed to the arrival of Spaniards. No PCR (throat swab tests) will be required at the border.

Spain’s King Felipe VI and the Spanish PM, Pedro Sanchez, will meet in the Portuguese town of Elvas and join with the Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa, in an official ceremony of opening the border between the two countries today.

The EU opened its internal borders on June 15, although Spain did not do so until the 21st, Portugal had requested to keep them closed until today when it will begin to admit travellers from across Europe.

As far as Spain is concerned, the list of countries will be less, because it has also excluded Morocco – until Rabat admits Spanish citizens, for the moment, the neighbouring country will have its borders closed until July 10.

Government sources admitted that in the Moroccan case there were more discrepancies between member states and the decision to act reciprocally was left to the choice of each country. The government agreed with Rabat in this way, but if there are countries that allow the arrival of Moroccans, it would be difficult to prevent them from accessing Spain through internal EU borders.