Greece is considering opening its borders to British tourists once they have been vaccinated since May, according to British media reports.

While Athens is looking for ways to stimulate the vital tourism sector affected by the pandemic, the move could put it at odds with the rest of the European Union, which is pushing for a more unified and cautious policy on opening of trips from destinations outside the Union.

Moreover, European leaders are expected to decide at this week’s meeting that it is too early to lift restrictions on tourism, as pollution is still too high for any easing of measures and that “the epidemiological situation remains serious, and new mutations present new challenges.

In an interview with the Financial Times yesterday, Tourism Minister Haris Theocharis stressed that EU leaders must “move faster” and adopt vaccination certificates, which will allow citizens to resume mass travel.

“Seeing the reaction of some countries to the proposals for vaccination certificates, I feel that it is very short-sighted. “We can do more now to prepare,” Mr Theocharis told the British newspaper.

“Some countries are very worried about now,” he said, as countries, especially in northern Europe, are reluctant to look ahead and make plans for an economic recovery in the summer. “We need to move faster,” he said.