Germany is coming under increasing pressure because of the tightened entry rules for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Tyrol.
Several entry rules are disproportionate or unfounded, according to a letter of complaint from the EU Commission to the German EU ambassador Michael Clauss in Brussels. “We believe that Germany’s understandable goal – the protection of public health in a pandemic – could be achieved through less restrictive measures.”
The EU Commission now expects a response within ten working days. In theory, it could initiate legal proceedings against Germany, but this is unlikely due to the ongoing pandemic. Similar letters were sent to Belgium, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The EU Commission does not agree with their border measures either. At the urging of the EU Commission, the European Ministers of the EU states are discussing the procedure at internal borders this Tuesday.
The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Tyrol have been considered areas with particularly dangerous virus mutations in Germany since February 14th. With a few exceptions, entry is therefore prohibited. From the point of view of Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, the border controls initially scheduled for ten days should be extended. The CSU politician recently brusquely rejected the EU Commission’s criticism of the German measures. The basis of the concerns from Brussels is that the EU states agreed on common recommendations for traveling within the EU a few weeks ago.
(WHAT / dpa)
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