At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union (EU) made the mistake of quickly closing countries between countries and limiting logistics. This was announced on April 16 by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, whose words are quoted by Aargauer Zeitung.
“The mistakes that were made at the beginning of the pandemic, closing borders too quickly, banning exports should not be repeated. But I believe that in recent months we have developed a large number of mechanisms that ensure that the number of restrictions that we have in border traffic does not exceed the number of restrictions at the beginning of the pandemic, ”Maas said at a press conference.
Maas clarified that during the conference with the participation of the foreign ministers of Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland, issues of scientific diplomacy were also discussed, as well as the resumption of mobility in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier, on March 23, it became known that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the authorities of the federal states agreed to extend the quarantine regime in the country until April 18. According to Merkel, from April 1 to 5, when Catholics and Protestants celebrate Easter, “the principle of reducing contacts will be in effect.”
Earlier in February, the European Commission formally warned six EU countries that their restrictions on crossing borders within the alliance, imposed by COVID-19, could undermine free movement within the union.
As the EC official representative Christian Wiegand told reporters at a meeting with EU representatives in Brussels, on Monday the commission sent special messages to Germany, Belgium, Finland, Denmark, Hungary and Sweden. They are encouraged to apply more adequate and non-discriminatory entry-exit measures.
European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides told Augsburger Allgemeine on 14 February that border closures amid COVID-19 are not as effective as vaccinations against COVID-19.