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EUROPEAN UNION

EU proposes ‘progressive and partial’ reopening of external borders in July

The EU's external borders have been effectively closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic but the European Commission is set to announce a plan for a "progressive and partial" reopening of them from July 1st.

Published: 10 June 2020 13:11 CEST
EU proposes 'progressive and partial' reopening of external borders in July
AFP

In the coming days the European Commission will publish proposals for an easing of its external border restrictions from July 1st, the commission's vice-president Josep Borrell announced on Wednesday.

Borrell explained the EU's plan was to lift restrictions with certain countries whilst taking into account “a certain number of principles and criteria” and basing the move on “a common approach” between member states.

Further details on which countries will be included in the move to lift restrictions will be made clearer when the proposals are published. 

The EU along with Schengen area countries like Switzerland and Norway closed their borders for any non-essential travel from outside Europe in mid-March. The restrictions are currently set to stay in place until June 15th, but will likely be extended until the end of the month.

EU officials have repeatedly stressed that restoring frictionless travel within Europe was their priority before opening up travel from outside Europe.

Ylva Johansson, EU Commission for Home Affairs, said recently: “Restoring the normal functioning of the Schengen area of free movement is our first objective as soon as the health situation allows it.

“Restrictions on free movement and internal border controls will need to be lifted gradually before we can remove restrictions at the external borders and guarantee access to the EU for non-EU residents for non-essential travel.”

The EU commission can only propose a way forward with the final decision on reopening external borders resting with member states. Johansson has suggested member states were not all in agreement on how the external borders should be reopened and what conditions should apply.

Greece, which relies heavily on tourism for its economy has already announced plans to reopen travel links to certain non-EU countries such as Australia and China on June 15th.

EU countries have been steadily reopening borders in recent days or making announcements when border restrictions will be dropped.

The majority of EU and Schengen countries have announced plans or a desire to reopen borders for European travel on June 15th.

On Wednesday Austria announced its border with Italy would reopen on June 16th, whilst Switzerland has made similar plans in recent days.

What is essential travel?

The EU's definition of essential travel is stricter than many countries' individual restrictions and does not contain any exemption for visits for family reasons.

People who can travel into the European bloc include 

  • Citizens of an EU country
  • Non EU citizens who are permanent residents of an EU country and need to come home
  • Healthcare workers engaged in crucial work on the coronavirus crisis
  • Frontier workers and in some circumstances seasonal workers
  • Delivery drivers

 

 

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TRAVEL NEWS

ETIAS: EU postpones launch of €7 visa for tourists

The EU has postponed the start date of its €7 ETIAS visa for tourists - due to come into effect later this year - until 2024.

Published: 28 February 2023 09:08 CET
ETIAS: EU postpones launch of €7 visa for tourists

The ETIAS visa system requires that all tourists and visitors from non-EU countries register online in advance for the €7 visa, which lasts for three years.

It was due to come into effect in November but, as reported in British newspaper The Independent, the start date has now been changed by the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs at the European Commission in Brussels.

Prospective visitors to the EU from non-EU countries such as the UK, USA and Canada are now told: “It is expected that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) will be operational in 2024.”

This comes after the EU’s EES system – which will bring in stricter biometric border checks for travellers – was postponed from May 2023 until “the end of the year”.

You can read a full explanation of how EES and ETIAS work HERE.

Both systems were originally due to be introduced in 2021, but were postponed because of the pandemic. They were then scheduled to come into effect in May (for EES) and November (for ETIAS) 2023.

However, there has been pushback from member states who say they are not ready, while major fears have been raised about the effect of enhanced EES checks on the UK-France border, which has already seen long queues at peak times since Brexit.

Bosses at Eurotunnel, the Port of Dover and Eurostar have all raised concerns about long delays due to the extra time needed to make the enhanced checks at the border.

John Keefe, chief corporate and public affairs officer for Eurotunnel, told The Independent: “As a concept, EES/ETIAS is a step closer to the smart, digital border that we would all like to see operating in the future.

“But it is important that when it is introduced it is fully functional, has been thoroughly tested and that the introduction is progressive to allow both operators and travellers to familiarise themselves with the new requirements.”

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