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Entry restrictions must be extended for another 30 days.
Brussels / the whole EU. The EU Commission has recommended an extension of the entry stop to Europe for another 30 days due to the crown crisis. The authority asked member states on Friday to maintain the restrictions in force until June 15. From the Authority’s point of view, border controls within the EU must be lifted first before restrictions on entry to the EU are relaxed.
The situation in Europe and around the world remains volatile. “Therefore, measures at the external borders must continue to reduce the risk of the disease spreading further through travel to the EU,” said the EU Commission.
The lifting of travel restrictions due to the pandemic should “be gradual,” the commission said. Firstly, “controls at internal borders would have to be lifted gradually and in a coordinated manner before restrictions at external borders can be relaxed in a second step.”
Do not restrict compulsory travel.
To curb the coronavirus pandemic, all EU states except Ireland and non-EU states, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland agreed in mid-March to initially restrict travel to the EU that was not absolutely necessary. The entry stop had already been extended a month ago, but actually expired on May 15.
The restrictions do not affect EU citizens or EU foreigners living permanently in the Member States. Medical personnel and other experts needed to combat the pandemic, transportation, and seasonal workers are also excluded.
The EU Commission can only recommend the extension. Implementation falls under the competence of national governments. The Commission did not rule out a further extension of travel restrictions at the external borders. This depends “on the development of the epidemiological situation,” said the authority.
Controls at the internal borders of Europe are not affected by the proposal of the European Commission. At the start of the Corona crisis, several states introduced border controls in the Schengen area, which is actually free of controls, including Austria.
Demands to lift the controls
Recently there have been increasing demands from some countries to lift controls between some countries. Austria is pressing for Germany to open its borders to German tourists. Chancellor Sebastián Kurz (ÖVP) was optimistic on Friday that the closure of the border with Germany would end before the summer. “I am optimistic that we will find a solution with Germany in the coming weeks,” Kurz said. Both countries currently have very low rates of Covid infection 19.
The pressure also comes from the regional chambers of commerce in Bavaria, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. They call for a quick end to the borders at the borders between the two countries. According to the business community, the restrictions should be lifted no later than May 15. Previously, the ten economic chambers of the countries around Lake Constance had jointly sent for the immediate opening of national borders.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann stopped and called for the reopening of small, completely closed border crossings and for travelers who would facilitate their daily commutes. But “I don’t see that we can do without border controls entirely in the near future.
Temporary closings
Temporary closings due to the pandemic should not be confused with controls at the German-Austrian border that were still valid until November 11. The latter were introduced because, from a German perspective, the EU’s external borders are under control. “Abolishing border controls is out of the question for me,” said Herrmann in Munich.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer also defended the controls that had been scheduled until May 15 and referred to ongoing discussions with the federal states.
“Our main goal is to restore a fully functional Schengen area of free movement as soon as the health situation allows,” Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Friday. Only then could restrictions be lifted at the external borders.
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