The French government redoubled its efforts to have the UK to reverse Covid-19 restrictions on visitors from France before a British reassessment of those rules this week.
French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said the UK’s policy announced last month, which requires travellers from France to isolate for up to 10 days and take two tests, is based on questionable science.
The requirement was dropped for most European countries starting this week.
While Mr Djebbari urged the government to reverse course quickly, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson refrained from offering much hope.
“What I want to see is something as simple and as user friendly for people as possible,” Mr Johnson told Sky News on Monday when asked about the likelihood of changes to UK rules this week.
The dispute comes as relations between the UK and the EU remain rocky.
Last month, the UK demanded a renegotiation to the Brexit deal governing Northern Ireland — something the bloc has refused. Conflicts have also cropped up with France over how to deal with migrants and fishing rights.
“I hope this week during their weekly review, there will be a positive change,” Mr Djebbari told CNews TV station on Monday.
He said he has been talking with his UK counterpart, Grant Shapps, every week.
In a separate interview with CNews, French Junior Minister for EU Affairs Clement Beaune said the UK restrictions are “a little bit political”, regrettable and discriminatory.
French anger stems from Britain’s decision to treat France differently from other countries on the amber list of its traffic-light system of travel rules.
As of Monday, fully vaccinated Britons and Americans as well as those arriving from amber list countries in the EU are exempt from isolation requirements. France is an exception due to UK concern about the prevalence of the Beta variant of the virus there.
In the four weeks ended July 13, France recorded 29 cases of the Beta variant, representing 0.8 per cent of known infections, data compiled by Gisaid, which tracks Covid mutations, showed.
“I understand how much people plan and prepare for the summer holidays, but we’ve also got to remember that this is still a dangerous virus and we must try to stop variants coming in,” Mr Johnson said.
In an interview with a local newspaper on Sunday, French Tourism Minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said he regretted the absence of UK holidaymakers during the summer as France’s tourism industry is only now clawing back after months of worldwide travel restrictions.
France expects around 50 million foreign visitors this year — more than last year but still lower than the 90 million in 2019, the minister said.
Under the UK system, people entering the UK from green list countries must take a Covid-19 test before arrival and take another two days later, but they do not have to self-isolate.
A watch list is also in place flagging countries that may be moved from green to amber.
Those coming from amber list countries must quarantine at home for 10 days if not fully vaccinated, as well as take Covid tests.
Those entering from red list countries must quarantine at their own expense in government-sanctioned hotels.
The UK government’s Matt Warman defended the travel rules on Sky News on Monday, saying they allow people to make “informed decisions” about where they go on holiday.
Pressure to stop the ever-changing rules is also coming from the UK's airline industry, which has been battered by the Covid-19 pandemic. It says the lack of clarity is undermining the confidence of those Britons considering a summer holiday in Europe.
On Sunday, Airlines UK, an industry group which represents airlines including British Airways, Ryanair and easyJet, said in a letter to the country’s transport secretary that it was “increasingly concerned that the UK is not on a path to a sustainable recovery of aviation due to the continued restrictions that are being imposed on international travel".
