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Controls at the German border will be carefully relaxed starting this Saturday. As the German press agency found out on Wednesday after the cabinet meeting in Berlin, the Federal Ministry of the Interior is only aiming for a complete end to the controls introduced in all border sections due to the crown pandemic before 15 June.
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) said at the federal press conference on Wednesday that an agreement with France, Switzerland and Austria would extend border controls from May 16 to June 15, but that there would be easing. “If this continues discipline among the population, then we can imagine that we will have free travel again starting June 15,” Seehofer said.
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Starting May 15, there will be no more border checks at the borders with Luxembourg, and Denmark also wants to set a date to reopen the borders. There, however, the concepts for opening the border were currently being coordinated with their own neighbors; The entry of third countries will remain restricted until June 15 on the recommendation of the EU Commission.
Greens faction leader Anton Hofreiter accuses Seehofer of a failed border-opening policy. “The interior minister needs to end the previous arbitrary policy on Europe’s internal borders and adapt it to the current situation,” he told Tagesspiegel. “Regarding the infection process, we need regional cross-border solutions. It is no longer sustainable if countries with a similar number of infections are still subject to border controls and entry restrictions.”
The group leader called for uniform criteria for all borders, which are based on infection in the border region. It also called for a coordinated approach between Member States and the EU Commission. “What is needed now is a coordinated approach within the European Union that combines free movement and health protection,” he said. “It is correct to remove the current restrictions regarding passenger traffic in the border regions, which are not absolutely necessary due to the infection situation, as soon as possible.”
[Youcanfindthelatestdevelopmentsafterthecoronaviruspandemic[AlleaktuellenEntwicklungeninFolgederCoronavirus-PandemiefindenSie[Puedeencontrarlosúltimosdesarrollosdespuésdelapandemiadecoronavirus[AlleaktuellenEntwicklungeninFolgederCoronavirus-PandemiefindenSie here on our news blog. We keep you informed about developments in Berlin in particular]
On the one hand, practical relaxation on the borders with France, Austria and Switzerland is the opening of all border crossings, so there is no longer any channeled control. In addition, systematic checks would no longer be carried out, but rather random checks. That would allow the infection to occur, Seehofer said. What exceptions from other groups of people might still be allowed are also being considered. Until now, these have been valid for travelers, cargo transportation and valid reasons. “If social and economic life resumes, it makes sense to speak up,” Seehofer said. For example, you might imagine relief for life partners and students.
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However, air traffic from Italy and Spain remained limited, and France, Austria and Switzerland also opened borders to the two southern European countries too soon, Seehofer said. In cooperation with the three countries, Seehofer spoke of a very good collaborative approach. “It is in the highest sense in the European spirit when neighboring countries fight together against a dangerous virus,” Seehofer said.
Seehofer emphasized that relaxation depended on the infection process. “We can do this because the incidence of infection has decreased due to drastic restrictions and a lot of discipline in the population. It is still the great task of suppressing this pandemic and if the deterioration arises in the coming weeks, we must also be prepared for it.” to respond to such deteriorations. “
The Federal Foreign Minister announced the gradual lifting of the global travel warning
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) also spoke on Wednesday. He wants to gradually lift the world travel warning for tourists due to the crown pandemic and start with European countries. However, he did not mention a time for this. “It will certainly be possible for Europe to lift the travel warning sooner than for other travel destinations, as long as the current positive trend is constant in many countries,” Maas said.
The Foreign Minister indicated that the travel warning cannot be raised simultaneously throughout the European Schengen area, where there are normally no border controls. “The aim should be to coordinate the way we do things in Europe as best we can, even if the situation differs from country to country. We don’t all have to go at the same pace, but we don’t have to compete either, and so we are the don’t stop each other, “said Maas.
Maas wants to invite a “neighborhood dialogue”
Maas plans to invite his counterparts to a “neighborhood dialogue” in the coming days. The aim is to talk about how travel can be made possible again in Europe. “Freedom of travel is part of the foundation of the European project. In the Crown era, Europe has to guarantee even more: the freedom to travel safely,” said Maas.
The upcoming conversations also discuss how tourists can easily return home if the situation changes. The Federal Foreign Office organized an unprecedented return campaign after the outbreak of the crown pandemic, in which 240,000 German tourists stranded abroad were transferred to their homes.
Vacancies continue to depend on infection events in EU countries.
Border closures are criticized by the economy as an obstacle to the movement of goods and the cross-border movement of workers. In both Berlin and Vienna, as well as in Brussels, it is emphasized that openings depend on the development of the infection process in the respective EU countries. The chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee, Norbert Röttgen, warned against taking swift action. One has to be sure that additional mobility does not pose any additional danger, said the CDU politician at Südwest-Rundfunk. The quick desire to “open something is unsustainable”.
[Wo und wann kann man wieder ins Ausland reisen? Alles was Sie dazu wissen müssen, lesen Sie hier.]
For days, Interior Minister Seehofer (CSU) was pressured not to extend German border controls beyond May 15. Courts also compel politicians to rethink: for example, the Lower Administrative Court of Lower Saxony rejected a regulation that requires people to be quarantined for two weeks after staying in the EU country, Sweden.
North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet announced that his country would also revoke this quarantine rule for returnees from EU countries. Both Chancellor Merkel and Seehofer had held talks with neighboring EU countries in recent days. According to Reuters information from the participants, Merkel already pointed out on Tuesday in the CDU / CSU parliamentary group that France, for example, would only open its borders in mid-June. (with dpa / Reuters)
