Home to Spain’s first national park, the picturesque Picos de Europa is one of western Europe's most overlooked mountain ranges. (Photo: VW Pics/Universal Images Group)

The agreement was announced following a video conference between the foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Croatia, Portugal, Malta, Slovenia, and Bulgaria.

In a joint statement, the ministers said they had agreed on four guiding principles: that phased steps coordinated and agreed among EU members is the best way to normalize cross-border travel, that avoiding an unsustainable rise in infections is a key priority, that citizens who travel freely within Europe must be assured a safe return home, and that free cross-border movements can be restored progressively, provided current positive trends lead to comparable epidemiological situations in country of departure and country of destination.