The European Commission has urged EU member states to reopen borders between states by the end of June.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson told Euronews:
“We are approaching a situation where we need to remove all internal border restrictions and border controls. I suggest that member states should remove all internal border controls as soon as possible, a good date is the end of June. “
Restrictions on coronavirus and travel bans have caused confusion among travelers, costing the tourism industry billions of euros in revenue and undermining the idea of a ‘united Europe’.
EU governments are now trying to coordinate how and when to reopen their borders, and the interior ministers of the member states will discuss this during a meeting on Friday.
The European Commissioner expressed optimism for the improvement of the coronavirus situation in the EU countries and that the citizens are adapting the measures of social distancing on a daily basis.
She also showed a recent report from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control advising on opening borders. According to the ECDC, restrictive measures and border closures had a negative impact on the economy and were effective only in delaying the epidemic at its onset but are no longer valid now.
