The EU Commission wants to extend the entry bans for citizens of third countries due to the Corona crisis until July 1st. From then on, the authority recommends a gradual opening of the borders to non-EU countries, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. The Member States are currently in the process of first lifting border controls within Europe.
The entry restrictions were in force in mid-March and have been extended several times since then. So far they were valid until June 15th. The restrictions do not apply to EU citizens and third-country nationals who live permanently in the Member States. Medical staff and other experts needed to combat the pandemic, transport and seasonal workers are also exempt.
The Commission believes that the lifting of internal border controls should be completed in June before the external borders are opened, Borrell said. The Commission would shortly present a proposal for “the gradual and partial lifting of these restrictions from July 1st”.
Borrell said it would initially be “about certain countries”. The authority would apply “a set of principles and criteria” to enable the Member States to act together. Because the decision about the restriction on entry lies in the competence of the national governments. The Commission can only make recommendations.
The German interior minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) had said after a video conference with his EU colleagues that the plan to lift the entry bans was “a differentiated solution” depending on the infection rate in the countries. He cited Brazil, the USA and Russia as examples, where many corona cases are still recorded.
“Oxygen for tourism”
Austria announced on Wednesday that it would reopen its borders for a total of 31 European countries, including Italy, as of June 16. There is one restriction, however: a partial travel warning still applies to Lombardy. The northern Italian regions welcomed the opening of the border on Thursday. Federico Caner, the tourism representative for the Veneto region, described this as “oxygen for our tourism”.
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