"The EU" can't enforce this list to member states - it's up to each government to act. it also can't "reinstate stricter borders" - EU is not a government.
It's not surprising that countries want to avoid travelers from infected countries though. There are already tourists with infection that tried to "sneak in" to the south by traveling through germany for example.
Going forward, containment a-la new zealand seems to be the most viable economically solution for reopening, even if tourism is gone for a year or two.
Amateur journalists use the term “EU” to refer to anything and everything related to Europe: the Commission, the Council, the Parliament, the National Governments, the ECB, etc. Sometimes even the continent of Europe is referred to as “the EU”.
I guess in this case EU would mean the EU Commission. But yeah it’s just a recommendation to the governments.
The risk are the absolute numbers, not the relative. If it were the relative numbers most Western European countries are on the very top. Esp. the EU country itself, Belgium, which is still leading the Top rankings of poor COVID-19 response due to their habit of mask sharing in infected nursing homes. No budget for masks, become world leader in COVID-19 deaths.
Also Swedish tourists are allowed to travel to Germany for over a month now, due to a famous high court decision.
It's not surprising that countries want to avoid travelers from infected countries though. There are already tourists with infection that tried to "sneak in" to the south by traveling through germany for example.
Going forward, containment a-la new zealand seems to be the most viable economically solution for reopening, even if tourism is gone for a year or two.