A plea to keep the EU borders open during the corona crisis
This is a map of Europe I created with the latest data from the official travel advisory of The Netherlands (where I’m a resident):
Yellow means: safe to travel, but stay alert. Orange means: not advisable — only travel when strictly necessary.
All countries in the EU produce these travel advisories, and they all contradict each other. Very confusing, for a start.
And plain stupid, in my humble opinion. I just cannot comprehend why countries in the European Union don’t coordinate and say “all EU citizens are welcome and we will take care of you or get you back to your country should you fall ill”. Why not? Or let’s start with: why?
First of all, I think it would be a perfect opportunity for the EU to show what it stands for. Telling travelers and EU citizens they’re safe wherever they are within the EU is a positive message at a moment when “Brussels” isn’t very popular and nativist ideas are rapidly gaining ground. Closing the borders means giving into fear, while I think we should show optimism and cooperation.
Secondly, opening the borders would boost the economy. Free movement of people and goods creates economies of scale — that’s one of the main reasons the EU was set up. We would certainly have more visitors from outside of the EU. And sure, we can have video meetings but important business deals get done in person. Many companies are in a “waiting” mode, while I think now is the time to do the opposite: money has been made available and there is support to move forward with big ideas, like a transformation to a greener Europe.
I really don’t get why it seems there’s no discussion about this. Perhaps I’m reading the wrong newspapers? Am I missing something?
What do you think: do you agree EU countries should stay open for fellow EU citizens and abolish national travel advisories? Or is it a stupid idea? I’d love to hear your opinion!
PS: Next step: open up the world! Article 13 in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human rights: “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to their country.”
