The European Commission noted on Friday 12 February that Member States, in restricting non-essential travel within the European Union due to the Covid-19 pandemic, must adopt “proportionate and non-discriminatory measures”.
To this end, the EU institution has asked Belgium and Germany for clarifications as they have announced extended travel restrictions and entry bans.
“European Commissioner Didier Reynders is going to ask Belgium to clarify the temporal scope of the travel restrictions”, said spokesman Christian Wigand.
Belgium has just extended by 1 month - from 1 March initially to 1 April - the ban on Belgian residents leaving the national territory.
Germany has announced border closures and bans on entry to its territory from the Czech Republic and the Austrian Tyrol. The Commission has called on Berlin to comply with the latest European recommendation on the subject, adopted by the Member States on 29 January (see EUROPE 12647/3), by allowing essential travellers and cross-border workers to move around.
“While there is a need to strongly discourage travel to the ‘dark red’ zones, border closures and blanket travel bans should be avoided”, Wigand said.
The European Centre for Disease Control has classified the Czech Republic as a ‘dark red’ zone.
The issue of border crossings is expected to be discussed at the next General Affairs Council on 23 February. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)