Britons blocked from getting to EU homes through France
The new regulations have left many holiday travelers confused.
Britons living in the European Union can no longer drive through France to get to their homes elsewhere in the union, according to new laws that have caused consternation among many vacationers.
Many from Britain use the Eurotunnel's shuttle services to France to get to their homes in other EU nations.
However, under new travel restrictions implemented by French officials on December 28, entry will only be permitted to Britons with an official primary home in France.
Last Wednesday, Eurotunnel tweeted that "unless they hold French residency, British citizens are now considered third-country citizens and can no longer transit France by road to reach their country of residence in the EU."
A French Interior Ministry spokesperson said the list of "compelling reasons" allowing Britons to go to France had not altered.
Tourism and professional travel has also been canceled.
"It seems logical to consider them like all other third-country citizens, and to not allow their transit toward another EU country," the official told AFP.
The new regulations put hundreds of Britons in a confused state as they had to scurry to replan holiday trips.
A UK professor who is trying to go to Belgium via the Eurotunnel said she is "completely lost", adding that the regulations seem to be "using Covid to mask what is really a Brexit issue."
Since Britain's official withdrawal from the EU over two years ago, France and London have been in disagreement on a number of contentious issues, including fisheries and illegal immigration.