EU Commissioner: We must get “back to the future” of open borders

According to the EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the EU must get “back to the future” of open borders after the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control. The EU Home Affairs Commissioner wants Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia to join the Schengen Area.

These declarations come after many of the European countries introduced entry bans and border controls towards the containment of COVID-19 pandemic. The remarks by a senior EU official signal a coming push by the executive European Commission towards having the European countries restore control-free travel that is a cornerstone of the Schengen Area.

Various unilateral moves have been put in place by the individual Schengen Member States in order to rein in the transmission of the coronavirus. While the member states had introduced the different measures in an uncoordinated manner, the EU Home Affairs Commissioner is confident that “unwinding these different national restrictions will take some time, but we can do it”.

As per the EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, “We now need to get back to the future, back to normality. And we need to do so as soon as the health situation allows it”.

Further, The EU Home Affairs Commissioner opines “In the long run, we have to do better than return to the status quo. We need to update and further strengthen Schengen. To begin with, I want Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia to join.”

With a reduction being seen in the COVID-19 infections, the EU has been developing strategies urging the member states to start lifting the national border controls gradually. Guidelines are expected to be drawn up soon in this regard by the EU Commission. A balance will have to be struck between allowing economies to revive and avoiding a fresh wave of infections.

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Coordinated border opening urged in Schengen Area