All Schengen Area Member States have approved a plan proposed by the EU Commission which foresees the closure of the external borders of the territory, for at least a period of 30 days, as the most extreme measure taken by the block to halt the further spreading of the COVID-19.
The final move was announced earlier in a press conference of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council Charles Michel, who explained that all borders would be closed for a period of 30 days for all non-essential travel.
“On the four priorities identified, the first ‘limiting the spread of the virus’, we endorsed the guidelines proposed by the Commission on border management. We need to ensure passage of medicines, food and goods and our citizens must be able to travel to their home countries. Adequate solutions for cross-border workers will be found. To limit the spread of the virus globally, we agreed to reinforce our external borders by applying a coordinated temporary restriction of non-essential travel to the EU for a period of 30 days, based on the approach proposed by the Commission.,” President Michel said.
Whereas President Von der Leyen said that the plan was supported by the member states, and they showed a unanimous and united approach of what the external borders are concerned.
“A big topic today was, of course, the internal borders, and consequently the blockages there. And here it is absolutely crucial that we unblock the situation because we know that too many people are stranded within the European Union and have a problem to go back home,” she said.
She also added that the UK is not planning to implement the guidelines any similar restrictions in their borders, but she did not give any details on how Ireland would apply the guidelines regarding external border shut down.
The proposal for the closure of the borders was announced by the President Von der Leyen yesterday, who asserted that with fewer people travelling, it would be easier to contain the virus.
The travel ban will affect all non-EU nationals from visiting the bloc, except long-term residents, family members of EU nationals and diplomats, cross-border and healthcare workers, and people transporting goods.
The French President Emanuel Macron was the first leader of a European Union Member State to confirm that the EU and Schengen Borders would close, though he said that the shutting down would happen today at noon, which did not.
In a televised address to the nation, President Macron confirmed that the EU has taken a shared decision to suspend travel between non-European and European countries for a month at least.
“We need to be able to protect ourselves and to stem the spread of this virus. We need to preserve our current medical system. This morning, as Europeans, we made a shared decision. As of tomorrow, midday, the European Union borders and the Schengen borders will be closed. Any travel between non-European and European countries will be suspended for the next 30 days,” Macron said.
Sources of SchegnenVisaInfo.com confirm that the idea has been firstly discussed on a phone call yesterday between French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of the European Commission and Council. The first had accused member states of taking unilateral moves during the call.
The discussion has been followed by a joint video meeting between Commissioners Kyriakides and Johansson with the EU ministers of Health and of Home Affairs, during which the commissioners presented the guidelines regarding the proposal.
The EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen while announcing the proposal, said that UK citizens, though in the transitional period of leaving the EU, would not be subject to the entry ban.
“The UK citizens are European citizens, so, of course, there are no restrictions for the UK citizens to travel to the Continent,” she explained.