BRUSSELS — The European Union revealed plans Wednesday to revamp Europe’s ID check-free travel area after nationwide Covid-19 restrictions placed new strains on tourism, travel, and business throughout the bloc over the last yr.
The travel zone is known as the “Schengen area,” which is made up of 26 nations: 22 EU nations plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Normally, individuals and goods move freely between these nations without border checks.
Panicked by Italy’s coronavirus outbreak in February’s last yr, some Schengen nations imposed border restrictions without consulting their neighbors to try to keep the disease out. The moves caused massive traffic jams and blocked key medical equipment from getting across borders. Nineteen nations put border restrictions in place.
Free movement is a pillar of European integration. It helps businesses flourish and many officials worry that the future of the Schengen area is under threat from virus travel restrictions. Those measures have added to border pressures already caused by the arrival in Europe of well over 1 million migrants in 2015.
The new strategy aims to beef up Europe’s external borders, through the Frontex border agency and a state-of-the-art digitalized entry and exit system to keep an eye on who enters or leaves. Cooperation between police and national safety agencies and improved visa policies are also foreseen.
The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, stated its proposals involve an improved system of monitoring to assist restore trust between member nations. Brussels argues that nations would be less inclined to put restrictions in place if they’re confident their neighbors are acting properly.
“Terrorism won’t end. We will have new pandemics probably, we will have other challenges coming,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson informed reporters as she unveiled the plans.
“What we need is to prepare the governance of the whole Schengen area to be able to face and address these challenges, to secure our citizens whereas also having free movement,” Johansson stated. “We are not stronger than our weakest link.”
Another goal is to enlarge the Schengen zone, bringing EU nations Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and Cyprus into it.
Around 420 million individuals live within the Schengen zone. Almost 1.7 million individuals reside in one Schengen nation and work in another, whereas an estimated 3.5 million individuals in Europe cross what were once permanent border crossings every day.
At least 8 nations currently have some restrictions in place, either due to coronavirus prevention or security reasons. Restrictions are meant to last no longer than 6 months but some nations — notably Austria, France, and Denmark — routinely renew them and have done so for years.
The Commission estimates that border restrictions and closures can result in additional costs of 5-to-18 billion euros ($6-to-22 billion) a yr.
