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“I think borders should be opened, that has always been Sweden’s position. Each country makes its own decisions, but we want to open borders,” says Swedish Health Minister Lena Hallengren.
But those calls are still not heard. Due to coronavirus infections and deaths in Sweden, mainly throughout Scandinavia, Finland, Norway and Denmark keep their parts of the Swedish border closed.
And the fences along the border with Sweden, almost from the Arctic to the Baltic Sea, have made the Nordic countries a suitable exhibition for those who believe that the European Union has drifted away from the Member States at one point. they needed help.
Scanpix photo / The border between Sweden and Finland is closed
He looked at his patio
“As soon as the crisis came, the EU disappeared and was left on paper alone,” said Tino Sanandaji, a well-known Swedish economist, in a recent debate. – All that was left were institutions, family, community and nation. The EU has not resolved anything. “
This approach is quite popular, although the situation in his homeland, Ylvai Johansson, who represents Sweden in the European Commission, which must coordinate the opening of the bloc in the event of a pandemic, poses an even greater challenge.
After all, when the pandemic broke out, many EU countries were digging in their backyards. Paris has decided to take over a shipment of medical equipment belonging to the Swedish company Mölnlycke, which has a factory in France.
And Germany has banned the export of any protective equipment, including face masks.
“Therefore, at a time when we expect Europe to show solidarity and care for the countries, they have all become very nationalistic and have closed their borders,” said Richard Twomey, head of Mölnlycke.
Now that the European Commission is already pressing Member States to open up, Denmark and Finland, members of the Community and Norway, part of the Schengen area, do not want to open the border with Sweden, which is too infected with the coronavirus.
The opposition is also critical.
Sweden’s chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell is still trying to convince experts from neighboring countries that border closures are only marginally helping to curb the spread of the coronavirus. But he is not heard.
AFP / Scanpix Photo / Anders Tegnell
“Importing the infection from abroad means the coronavirus will flare up again in the country,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who has just extended the ban on entering the country from Sweden.
Furthermore, the idea that border controls do not help but hinder the fight against the pandemic is also contradicted by some of Sweden’s opposition parties.
“If we had introduced border controls in February, when the virus got here, we would have been more successful in fighting it.” The government allowed people to freely enter and exit the country’s airports. That was a big mistake, “said Jimmie Akesson, leader of the far-right Swedish Democratic party.
The idea that border controls do not help but hinder the fight against the pandemic is also contradicted by some of Sweden’s opposition parties.
Of course, as already stated, the fact that Sweden was the hardest hit by COVID-19 in Sweden is certainly not helping Swedish EU Commissioner Johansson.
AFP / Scanpix photo / Ylva Johansson
On Thursday, the World Health Organization added Sweden and 10 other countries to the list of countries where the coronavirus outbreak has recovered again, although Tegnell says the statistics are exacerbated by the fact that the Swedes are carrying out many more tests than before.
Did you miss an opportunity to work together?
Johansson must now also fight the growing nationalism of the other Nordic countries. For example, Danish Prime Minister Mete Frederiksen on Monday welcomed the country’s rapid closure of both the border and the economy.
“We just realized that we had won the first half of this coronavirus match because we dared to take too many steps, not too few.” This has allowed us to be in a good position today, ”explained M. Frederiksen.
Scanpix / AP Photo / Mette Frederiksen
As early as Tuesday, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin also stressed that she would not be in a hurry to open the border with Sweden.
“Of course everyone wants to return to a normal life, but the epidemiological situation in Sweden is so bad that we cannot release border controls,” said the head of the Finnish government.
Both Mr. Frederiksen and Mr. Marin suggest that a rigorous strategy to combat the coronavirus has been successful and has saved many lives.
Scanpix photo / The border between Sweden and Finland is closed
Stockholm stubbornly disagrees with this position. The country’s borders are open throughout the pandemic, and the government believes that the closure only hampers cooperation that would have helped to manage the outbreak more effectively.
“The Swedish government’s position is the desire for borders to be opened. We believe that the world needs openness and that the spread of infection can be stopped in other ways,” said Health Minister L. Challengren.
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