Holidays 2020: Heiko Maas makes a clear announcement

Is Corona a victim of summer vacation?

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Berlin Summer is coming, uncertainty is growing: can vacations be abroad in times of the crown pandemic? Much depends on the Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas of. In the interview, the SPD politician mentions the conditions for raising the global travel warning and explains how it is with European solidarity.

Is it conceivable that you can keep the world travel warning all summer long?

Heiko Maas: This cannot be predicted today. We will review the situation from week to week and make another decision before June 14. If the pandemic in Germany and abroad can still be controlled, if the entry and quarantine rules are relaxed, that is, if people can not only fly abroad again, but also return safely enough, we can gradually reduce the travel warning. However, there should be no quick shots. We cannot and will not bring a quarter of a million people on vacation in the summer.

Which countries could be the first to be excluded from the warning?

Meuse We want a coordinated approach in Europe. I speak to many colleagues every day. Some countries are experiencing the full effects of the crown pandemic. Others were able to stop the outbreak from the beginning by taking drastic measures and are afraid that the virus will return to the country if they open the borders. So I also don’t want to rule out the possibility of differentiated solutions. And, of course, the possibility of a return trip must be guaranteed.

How long can Europe afford closed borders?

Meuse It is not one more day than necessary. Like every convinced European, it pains me to have border guards and barriers in the center of the EU again. As a Saarlander, I am well aware of what the current restrictions on living together in the border regions mean. But we also have to act in a controlled and coordinated manner at border openings so as not to jeopardize the progress made in the fight against the virus, for which we have all sacrificed part of our normal lives in recent weeks.

They evoke European solidarity, while each member state looks above all else.

Meuse To tell the truth, Europe was not well prepared for this pandemic. Many states had to guarantee their own ability to act in the early days, including us. But: Europe has grown with this crisis every day. Now we have found common answers in almost all areas: we are cooperating in the EU in the procurement of medical products and vaccine research. In Germany alone, we have received around 230 intensive care patients from Italy, France and the Netherlands.

We carry more than 6,000 travelers from other EU countries with us on our return flights. And we quickly mobilized more than half a billion euros to face the crisis. Where else has there been so much solidarity between states in crisis?

What about solidarity with other regions?

Meuse We focus on two strategic priorities: On the one hand, in Africa, where many experts see the greatest need for international aid. On the other hand, to our direct neighborhood, that is, the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. The virus will also not adhere to national borders in the future. That is why we support weaker health systems to contain the virus. This is also in our own interest, otherwise we will have a problem right on our doorstep.

Do countries that are not in the neighborhood receive less support?

Meuse We cannot afford blind spots. The logic of the pandemic says: either we defeat the virus worldwide or we don’t do it at all. And success will hardly be decided by us, but by the poorest of the poor. That is why we have pledged € 300 million in humanitarian aid to the United Nations that can be used where it is most needed. That is why we are organizing the world crown donors conference together with the European Union on Monday to set the course for a fair worldwide distribution of protective materials, tests, medicines and vaccines.

Speculation about the origin of the pandemic does not stop. How do you think about the thesis that, contrary to what Beijing claims, the virus did not come from the fish market but from a state laboratory in Wuhan?

Meuse The whole world is interested in clarifying the exact origin of the virus. However, science must provide sound, not political, answers. China can demonstrate how transparently it wants to deal with the virus.