EC, Czech EU presidency reject proposal to limit flights to Mexico

In related news, the European Commission and the Czech EU presidency on Wednesday rejected France's proposal for the EU to limit flights to Mexico, hit by the deadly swine flu. The proposal was suggested at an informal meeting of EU transport ministers in Litomeřice, a diplomatic source confirmed. The EC and the Czech presidency said that individual member states had the right to impose limits on travel but made clear such limits could not be handled on the EU level.

The proposal of the French delegation, led by French Transport Ministry director Raymond Cointe, was unexpected given EU health ministers are to meet in Luxembourg on Thursday to discuss possible measures against the spread of the disease. French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot has made clear France will push for an EU-wide flight ban to Mexico when the EU health ministers meet. The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested such a ban could be pointless. At the same time, the WHO confirmed on Wednesday that there was no sign that the spread of the virus was slowing.