Germany, which holds the presidency of the European Council, has asked to delete a motion calling for tests instead of quarantine at a meeting this week of the EU’s Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR) and the EU’s Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper).

Coreper comprises ambassador level representatives and prepares the work of the Council of the European Union.

In a joint letter, the European Travel Commission and World Travel & Tourism Council said they were “very surprised and concerned”.

“Quarantine measures have a damaging and devastating effect on crossborder/international business and leisure travel and are killing the recovery of the travel and tourism sector,” it said.

“Quarantines are disruptive, unhelpful and should be replaced by comprehensive cost-efficient testing upon departure based on an agreed EU/International testing protocol.”