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Holidays by the sea should soon be possible for the Swiss in neighboring countries. Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter (FDP, 56) is in close contact with the responsible ministers of our neighboring countries, Austria, Germany and France.
The four countries agreed to this in phone calls on Monday and Tuesday: travel between these countries will soon be available again. Not only for professional reasons, but also for tourism. “Summer vacations in Germany, Austria or France would also be possible,” said Philipp Schwander, a media spokesman for the Justice Department, who confirmed the talks. “It was agreed that normalcy should return as soon as possible.”
“In the next weeks”
Schwander still can’t give an exact date, but it should be quick. The borders will reopen in the coming weeks, provided that the number of cases in the countries develops positively. The situation with neighboring countries will be evaluated individually, says Schwander. “In theory, it would also be conceivable to open the border with Austria before the border with France.”
Schwander: “We only open the borders between us, that is, in consultation with the respective country.” This means, for example, that German tourists can go on vacation to Switzerland again. Germany officially closed its borders until May 15, France until mid-June. In recent days, however, critics who demanded a rapid opening of the border have grown stronger (BLICK reported).
Italy remains closed
It looks bad for fans of pizza and pasta: An opening of the Italian border is currently not planned. “It is a different situation there. Switzerland, Germany, Austria and France have a similar crown situation and a positive development ”. As is well known, there were particularly many cases of crown and many deaths in northern Italy.
The opening of the border to other countries will come at a later date, Schwander said. Neighboring countries have priority. Instead of pizza, the meatballs land on the plate.
The EU is also looking for a solution
People are also trying to save beach vacations within the EU: Germany is talking to various countries to explore the road to the sea for German citizens. There was fear that the Swiss would be left behind: in Europe, the idea was that there might be special tourist corridors through airports to Mediterranean beaches, something the German government did not want to know at first.
Croatia has already explored the special route. The country with the long Adriatic coast wants to negotiate bilateral vacation agreements with some states, he said. Road corridors from Austria through Slovenia directly to the coast would be conceivable.
The EU wants to avoid such special rules as much as possible: exceptions for individual countries, different regulations or a mosaic at the opening of the border are a thorn in their side. Therefore, on Wednesday, they want to present a step-by-step plan with the aim of gradually lifting the controls.
“Now the EU is challenged,” says André Lüthi (59). The Globetrotter chief and chief policy officer of the Swiss association of travel agencies warns of “great insecurity across Europe” if individual countries negotiate bilateral vacation deals. This is why it is clear to Lüthi: “The EU must penetrate a uniform solution!”
Quarantine for two weeks?
What is still open is what happens when you enter the country. Spain makes it unequivocally clear that anyone who comes to us first must remain in quarantine for two weeks.
Theoretically, these rules are also possible for Swiss travelers to France, Germany or Austria, individual countries could determine this, but in practice this is unlikely. Vacationers should enjoy the country and support tourism there financially.
