EU encourages lifting Schengen controls

European Commission issued a statement on travel restrictions in which it “strongly encourages the remaining member states to finalise the process of lifting the internal border controls and restrictions to free movement within the EU by 15 June 2020.”

The European Commission wants all member states to allow free movement within the Schengen space by next Monday, but the Spanish government's official date for reopening the borders is July 1 https://t.co/ON0lylVQ5H

— El País English Edition (@elpaisinenglish) June 11, 2020

The EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, insisted on the recommendation that internal borders must “reopen as soon as possible.” But she added that the main thing is for everyone to open internal borders completely before opening the EU’s external ones to third-country travelers.

Today we recommend to Schengen Member States to lift all internal border controls by 15 June 2020.
We are also proposing a clear and flexible approach towards removing restrictions on travel to the EU starting on 1 July.

More here: https://t.co/ECAQ0eMYyo @YlvaJohansson pic.twitter.com/ppQkMbX6qz

— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) June 11, 2020

While Germany, France and Belgium have said that they will lift travel restrictions on June 15, Spain is still preventing full mobility between its own regions. This situation is due to end by June 22, when the state of alarm declared to fight the Covid-19 epidemic expires.

The EU Commission said it is aware that coordination issues will not be easy. “We understand that reopening on Monday for countries that have not yet decided to do so could be complicated, and that some might take an extra week or two,” Johansson added.