Corona virus: border debate over Austria and France: pressure on Seehofer is growing

Update, 1:41 p.m.: North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) now demands Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU)to lift border controls in France. That should, contrary to the plan, take place before May 15, as he told Stuttgarter Zeitung. Looking France He said: “The closure ends there on May 11, it would be a good time to signal to our neighbors that we have a common European response to Fight against pandemics fight for “.

Virus crowns at borders: MEPs call for change across borders

Update, 11:16 a.m.: Twelve Member of the Bundestag and the F
French National Assembly In a joint call, the AFP informs that the border closures between Germany and France should no longer be extended. The effects on citizens are “more than borderline”, the restrictions “are now separated as an artificial cut, which is decades of cross-border Collaboration “Since the virus has been everywhere, you must take care of yourself cross-border measures strive

In May 9 will be the Europe day celebrated – reminds us of May 9, 1950, when the French Chancellor Robert Schuman in a proposed speech to establish a coal and steel production community that resulted in the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. This formed the cornerstone of today. EU.

The pressure on Horst Seehofer is growing.

Coronavirus Border Controls: Careful Anticipation of Mother’s Day in the Border Region

Update May 9 at 9:33 a.m.: As BR reports, residents at border crossings to Austria can now “cautiously open borders” at border crossings Kleinwalsertal towards Allgäu and in the small German corner in Salzburg Happy to Austrian side of health checks in transition Allgäu-Kleinwalsertal Fall For transitions to Salzburg, “family-oriented border controls” are planned especially for Mother’s Day on May 10.

Meanwhile, the Neue Züricher Zeitung (NZZ) comments that the Border closures It would do “more harm than good” today: There was no evidence that closed borders slow down the spread of the virus, as local infectious sites are no longer a problem. Politicians in border regions know how people under “Traffic jams, passport controls and other types of harassment.“They suffer, writes the NZZ, and sometimes they even know of new resentments that are reviving between Germans and French, for example.”

Coronavirus: Austria wants borders to be opened immediately

Update 12.50 p.m .: Austria wants the border with Germany to be opened, apparently immediately. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) Pressure on the federal government increased again on Friday: the borders could be opened “as soon as Germany is ready,” he stressed in Vienna.

At the same time, critics of the crown-related border closings stepped up the pressure. Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU). CDU parliamentary group leader Andreas Jung addressed AFP on Friday Expert opinion by renowned European law professor Constance Daniel Thym, according to which a continuation of border closures “should be classified as illegal”.

Jung is one of the co-authors of a statement by twelve CDU Bundestag and MEPs, who wrote the letter to Seehofer on May 5. Opening the borders to at least Austria and Switzerland Had requested. However, the latter rejected this request on Thursday (see below).

Too ten chambers of commerce around Lake Constance in Germany, Austria and Switzerland require fast border openings. “No day in which the health policy situation allows a return to economic normality can be given away now,” says a statement published in Constance on Friday. The measures taken in the three neighboring countries to contain the pandemic were essentially successful, albeit at the cost of a substantial stagnation in economic and social life.

Coronavirus: Austria is considering opening the border

Update May 8, 11:30 a.m.: The Opening the border between Germany and Austria moves to Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz closer The infection rate is currently lower in Austria than in the Federal Republic. “Therefore, I also assume that the border with Germany will open before the summer,” Kurz said in a video conference with representatives of the hotel industry in Vienna on Friday.

The government is also almost daily in the Exchange with German partners. One Opening of the border It is not only important from a tourist point of view, but also for many Familiesfor him Border controls are separated at this time. The same applies to Travellers and everyone who would simply have to travel for professional reasons. You have an overview of the rights and obligations regarding border restrictions with Austria Merkur.de * collected

Amid growing calls for border openings on all edges of Germany, CDU Secretary General declares himself Paul Ziemiak in one common approachz in Europe. “A uniform approach within the European Union would be the most important thing,” he said. Editorial network Germany. “We have a different situation on the German borders. When I think about the border between Germany and Poland, for example, it would be important to me that medical personnel from Poland, for example, can come to work in Germany.”

Coronavirus: people manifest through border openings

Update 12.50 p.m .: The protest against Closing the borders of the EU It is getting stronger. People are now taking to the streets for an immediate end to German border controls in Luxembourg and France and the reopening of all crossings. In Echternach in Luxembourg there is one on Friday from 12 noon. Protest action Around 50 regional political representatives from Luxembourg and Germany are expected. “We want to show how difficult the situation is for us at the moment: not only for all cross-border travelers, but also for cross-border friendship,” said a spokeswoman for the city of Echternach, which is located on the border with Germany.

Also in the Palatinate An action is planned on Friday starting at 12 noon: to establish a sign of a united friendship between Europe and Franco-Germany, politicians gather on the bridge currently closed between the German Scheibenhardt and the French Scheibenhard.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Helge Braun (CDU) advocates on matters Border openings so that Germany goes step by step with its neighboring countries. “The beginning of these border controls was that business increased in Germany and no longer in the neighboring country, and then there was a lot of movement because people came to the border to buy,” the CDU politician said Thursday. Deutschlandfunk. An “overpopulation of inner cities”, which has the consequence, we could “just not use”. Border controls At Europe’s internal borders, however, “it must always be for good reasons and for a limited time.”

At the same time, Braun warned of too much relaxation of affairs. Sociability and travel. “If you look back, you can see that the great risk of contagion lurks there.”

Corona virus: criticism of Seehofers border controls

Original article from May 7, 2020:

Berlin – Those who were considered neighbors a few weeks ago are now separated with fences. Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU) was considered submerged in the Corona crisis *. Now you are talking about a conflict. He holds that Controls to German borders It made sense last week and he had announced that he would like to keep the border closed for now. Twelve members of the German Bundestag and the European Union have asked the federal Minister of the Interior to take action due to the Crown pandemic * controls ordered in the to end the German borders immediately. In recent weeks it has been argued that border controls are largely out of date due to comparable measures in EU countries.

“After more than seven weeks, there must be an end to trellising the fences and barriers in the Heart of europe“The statement, which is available to the German Press Agency, says. The editorial network Germany (RND / Thursday) had previously reported on this. The statement is signed by, among others, the former leader of the parliamentary group of the Volker Union. Kauder, the vice-president of the parliamentary group Andreas Jung (both CDUs) and Daniel Caspary, president of the CDU / CSU group in the European Parliament).

Coronavirus: EU borders closed seven weeks ago

“Families are divided: adult children, for example, cannot see their parents unless they need care or are ill, and siblings remain on either side of the border fence. Travelers continue to be hampered, ”parliamentarians complained. “So now we are demanding the immediate Reopening all border crossings closed at the borders with Switzerland, France and Luxembourg, “the deputies said. By May 15, all would have to be Limited emergency measures then he imposed limits. “It cannot last one more day,” they warn.

Parliamentarians also demanded The President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) will not extend the exemption for border controls beyond May 15.

The Munich Merkur also comments *: “However, it would be more urgent for the federal government to take care of its real work cares: a concept for caring, but Border policy worthy of Europe and a solid plan for a stimulus package after this crisis. Maybe in Berlin you want to focus on that. “

Coronavirus: Seehofer wants to continue to control the EU borders: criticism comes from our own ranks

Controls were first ordered in mid-March and then extended to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Germany. Since then, people who are neither German nor permanent residents here can only come from one “Good reason to travel” Come to Germany. For example, EU citizens traveling through Germany to their home country or truck drivers may enter the country. Entry is also restricted to certain border crossings. Since April 10, almost all returnees in Germany have had to be quarantined in their homes for two weeks after spending several days abroad.

Video: Austria closed borders too weeks ago

dpa / nai

* Merkur.de is part of the national network of publishers Ippen-Digital.