During a video conference on Friday 5 June, the EU Member States’ Home Affairs ministers decided to return to a Schengen area without internal border controls as soon as possible and a majority of them agreed upon the 15 June as the date on which to return to an almost fully functional Schengen area.
Member States which will not be able to do so by that date for health reasons will still be able to keep their borders closed until the end of June. Spain, for example, has already announced that the country's land borders with France or Portugal will not be reopened until 22 June.
On Friday, the ministers also expressed their desire to gradually reopen the EU's external borders by 1 July.
This would therefore mean that travellers from non-Member States would be allowed to travel to the EU for non-essential journeys again. However, the Commission has so far recommended extending these restrictions until 15 June.
However, the reopening of the Schengen area and the EU to non-Member States would be carried out according to certain criteria, and there would need to be restrictions for those countries still showing a high rate of coronavirus infections.
At a press conference, the Croatian State Secretary for European Affairs, Terezija Gras, confirmed this progress and said that “the majority of Member States would reopen their borders by 15 June and others later, depending on the health conditions”.
Member States have also effectively asked the Commission to extend the restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU “until the end of June”. The Commission is expected to provide a statement with regard to this next week, confirmed European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson.
“Almost all Member States have expressed their desire for a slight extension” of the restrictions on non-essential travel, at least “until early July”, the Commissioner said.
As for the freedom of movement in the Schengen area, the ministers' discussion meant that Ms Johansson was confident that”we will return to a fully functional area no later than the end of June”.
On 4 June, the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties called on Member States to return to normal.
Many countries, such as Germany, Belgium, France, Austria and Switzerland had already committed to 15 June, but with some limitations. Switzerland confirmed the 15 June and also decided to open its border with Italy.
Appeal for help from Malta
The ministers also discussed the migration situation in the Central Mediterranean and Malta and listened to the current priorities of Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The Commissioner said that she had asked Member States to help the small island which is seeking a solution to the 250 migrants who have landed there. The Commissioner asked them to agree to relocate these people who were rescued off the coast of Libya and brought to their territory. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)