Last month, the European Union closed its external borders for 30 days. With those 30 days about to expire, French President Macron has now said that the European external borders should remain closed until September.
Will Europe Be Closed To the World for Many More Months?
According to reports, President Macron has said that the Schengen countries are considering such a closure. It would be a big decision for sure since it would effectively mean that the summer tourist season has no hope whatsoever. Some countries have expressed hope of restarting a modified tourist season in late summer but closing the European external borders until September would squash that.
Macron cited the evolution of the virus in different ways in different countries as the reason. France has already said that their lockdown will continue beyond the April 15th date in an effort to kill the virus.
Other countries are saying they are in favor of keeping the closure in place until at least mid-May. Individual European countries have been handling the various lockdowns in different ways and restricting travel within those countries has been a country-by-country decision.
If this decision to keep the borders closed until September goes through, it would likely still not apply to the following individuals:
- Long-term residents
- family members of EU nationals
- diplomats,
- EU citizens
The final point will be whether this is put in place for the European Union (as it is now) or if it will be the Schengen countries. The countries of Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein are not EU members but are part of the Schengen Zone.
