Green-zone travelling: A pan-European strategy to save tourism

EsadeEcPol | Policy Insight

Executive summary

• Many member states of the European Union have launched their exit plans based on regions. As the incidence of the virus decreases, mobility between these regions will normalise, following a “green zoning” strategy, similar to the one we proposed in our previous #PolicyInsight.
• In this #PolicyInsight we propose to elevate the green zoning approach to the level of the European Union. The idea is simple: allowing the mobility of people between “green zones” of different European countries through a network of regions certified by European institutions.
• If well communicated and with sufficient guarantees, this proposal could save the summer tourist season in southern Europe, thus mitigating the enormous economic costs that the closure to international tourism could cause for these countries.
• European green zones represent a unique opportunity for the EU to demonstrate leadership, creating a win-win situation for all countries, with a huge direct positive impact on the lives of millions of European citizens.