EU executive says has no rights to impose travel ban

BRUSSELS, April 29 (Reuters) - EU countries may impose individual travel restrictions such as suspending flights to or from Mexico over swine flu, but the European Commission cannot impose an EU-wide ban, an official at the EU executive said.

"Member states can impose restrictions on their own merits, but there is no competence for a ban at EU level and the European Commission has no plans for restricting travel to or from Mexico," the official said on Wednesday.

France said earlier it would ask European Union health ministers at a meeting on Thursday to suspend all flights going to Mexico over the virus which has killed 159 people there.

"France of course is free to discuss a coordinated approach with all or some other member states given the complexities and cross-border aspects of air travel," the official said.

"This could take many forms and does not necessarily have to include all member states, as some may feel there is no need for such action. But there will be no diktat from Brussels." (Reporting by Darren Ennis; editing by Myra MacDonald)