In a plenary debate on Tuesday 15 September MEPs backed Commission efforts to harmonise national measures restricting travel in the EU and the varying risk classifications related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Together with Didier Reynders, the Commissioner for Justice responsible for free movement, most of them denounced the "chaos" in which citizens found themselves this summer, as French MEP Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Renew Europe) said.
"The magic world of co-ordination does not exist for citizens", criticised German MEP Andreas Schwab (EPP), who emphasised the effect of these limitations in citizens' daily lives.
"Unilateral measures (taken by Member States) result in major disruptions", acknowledged Didier Reynders, who noted that the Commission has always advocated the introduction of such limitations only "when necessary". In the meantime, not only citizens, but also businesses, have had to deal with "divergent measures", with "long queues, confusion about where to go".
Putting things in order is key for the draft recommendation presented on 4 September (see EUROPE 12553/1). It contains 4 axes, including the harmonisation, if possible, of colour codes with a single common regime, the harmonisation of data (tests, number of cases, deaths, hospitalisations) to identify the criteria, but also the harmonisation of measures on returning from risk areas in the EU (quarantine and/or tests) and communication to the public.
According to Didier Reynders, "we can no longer afford not to have coordination", and the Commissioner added that the disruption to traffic in the Schengen area is not new. "It's already been 5 years, what with migration and terrorist crises". "Controls have become the new norm", he lamented.
The 'Pact on Migration and Asylum', due on 23 September, will therefore also contain initiatives to improve the functioning of Schengen, and mutual trust.
The German State Secretary for European Affairs, Michael Roth, acknowledged that the Member States, after introducing internal border controls in March, had realised "the great difficulties" this posed. The current system of colour classification must be "much more transparent" and take place within a "European framework" and the measures decided upon must not "create too much upheaval in the everyday life of our citizens".
EU European Affairs Ministers are expected to discuss the issue on 22 September. The EU Ambassadors in the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper), for their part, continued work on this coordination of national measures (see EUROPE 12558/6) on 11 September.
The coordination of measures in the EU as well as non-essential travel restrictions will be discussed again in Coreper on 16 September. According to one source, the common list of third countries whose residents may return to the EU should remain unchanged. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)