Date Published: 05/06/2020
ARCHIVED - Brussels recommends opening internal EU borders at the end of June
ARCHIVED ARTICLE The EU is attempting to sort out the chaos and conflict caused by individual governments making their own decisions
The Covid-19 crisis has cost European economies billions of euros in lost revenue, and has generated a loss of unity amongst European nations who have all fought individually to overcome their own domestic internal issues, protect their own citizens and bring down the level of Covid within their own borders before even considering the idea of re-opening frontiers to their neighbours.
As the overall health situation improves, all member states are in the process of de-escalating and gradually lifting some of the measures that have been applied at national or regional level. This includes the gradual lifting of border controls and the full restoration of the free movement of persons which has been limited due to the pandemic.
The result has been “a race” between tourist-driven economies to re-open their borders and “capture” the tourists willing to travel this summer, with resentment between some nations who are being excluded from lists of “welcome tourists” due to the prolongation of their own internal crises.
On Friday the EU's Home affairs ministers held a video conference to discuss the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the field of internal border controls and the free movement of persons.
Member states discussed how restrictions on free movement and internal border controls could be lifted in a coordinated, non-discriminatory and proportionate way and were invited to share their expected timelines for the lifting of internal border controls once the health situation in the country allows for it.
Member states also discussed how long the EU travel restrictions with regard to the entry of third country nationals should be maintained and what criteria and measures could be applied once the restrictions start to be lifted.
In mid-May, on its roadmap to relaunch tourism, Brussels advocated gradually starting to lift restrictions and on Friday Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson said that EU governments has reached overall agreement that lifting of internal borders should be at the end of June.
Further discussions about opening international borders would take place next week.
Brussels bases its analysis on the epidemiological situation, which has improved in many Member States where citizens have taken up the recommendations for social distancing to combat the spread of Covid-19, as well as on recent reports from the European Center for the Control and Prevention of Diseases (ECDC) in which they advise against closing borders. "Taking all this into account, in my opinion, it is time to reopen," said the commissioner.