Due to Austria’s reluctance to open its borders to Italy and Slovenia, there were bilateral talks on Monday. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio made a phone call on Monday evening for the return of full freedom to travel in Europe.
Schallenberg and Di Maio agreed “close coordination”, the Foreign Ministry said. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) also discussed a close coordination with his Slovenian counterpart Ales Hojs. Hojs then expressed confidence.
Schallenberg emphasized: “The common goal is clear: We are working flat out to restore full freedom of travel and the free movement of people within the European Union.” He and Di Maio had agreed that the current situation in Europe was an “abnormality”. According to the State Department, there was also agreement that the restoration of freedom to travel could only take place gradually so as not to jeopardize the hard-earned successes of recent weeks. The two ministers agreed “another close vote”, including at civil servant level.
Di Maio also emphasized the unity with Schallenberg. “Both Italy and Austria are calling for the restoration of freedom of travel within the EU,” said a press release from the Foreign Ministry in Rome. The two countries wanted to continue working together towards this goal. The Italian Minister for European Affairs, Vincenzo Amendola, had previously held a telephone conversation with EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP). This also included restoring freedom of travel in Europe.
Italy wants to open its borders to EU citizens on June 3, which is obviously too early for Austria. The neighboring country is one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. According to Johns Hopkins University, 230,158 people have so far been tested positive for the virus. 32,877 people died. Because of Italy’s border with Slovenia, Austria is also reluctant to open the border to Slovenia.
After the phone call to Nehammer, the Slovenian Interior Minister Hojs was confident that Austria would make the decision as soon as possible to lift the entry restrictions on the Slovenian border, the Slovenian Ministry of the Interior said. For his part, Nehammer emphasized: “I am in good contact with the Slovenian Minister of the Interior about the Covid situation in both our countries and in the neighboring countries, and we will continue to coordinate and discuss them closely.”
Hojs asked Nehammer to state the reasons why Austria has not yet opened its border with Slovenia. The smaller southern neighboring country hardly records any new Corona cases. According to the Slovenian Ministry of the Interior, Nehammer pointed to two concerns: that Italians could get to Austria via Slovenia and Croatia. The health situation in Italy is not so far that Austria can clear entry. He cited illegal migration as the second reason.
The Slovenian minister introduced to his Austrian colleague the measures that Slovenia has taken on the border with Italy. Hojs assured them that “they will persist until the country’s epidemiological picture improves”. The Slovenian government had sharply criticized Austria on Saturday and demanded that the borders be opened to the free movement of people soon. At the same time, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksander Gerzina accused Vienna of wanting to keep those tourists in the country who wanted to travel to the Slovenian or Croatian Adriatic coast.
As of Tuesday, the Czech police will end their nationwide and systematic checks on the borders with Germany and Austria. Instead, “targeted and spot checks” are being carried out, the Interior Ministry in Prague said on Monday. But a spokeswoman emphasized that the ban on entry to the Czech Republic would not change.
Czechs would still have to submit a negative corona test or go into quarantine when returning from abroad. Violations of the Infection Protection Act, such as unauthorized entry into the country, can result in fines of up to EUR 37,000. Anyone trying to avoid a police check can face a penalty of up to 1,800 euros. The Czech Republic recently extended border controls to June 13. After that, there could be an opening between Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary if the coronavirus infection numbers continue to develop positively.
In relation to Slovakia, the Czech Republic is loosening the border regime from Wednesday. As the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babis announced on Monday evening via Twitter, he agreed with the Slovakian Prime Minister Igor Matovic new regulations. Accordingly, from May 27, Czech and Slovak citizens will be allowed to travel between the two countries if they return within 48 hours. “This can be done without tests and without quarantine. Slovakian police officers should check it out,” said Babis.
Source: APA
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