Freedom of Movement

El Español reports that the second coronavirus wave has led to chaos at Europe's borders and that the rising number of cases threatens to undermine the freedom of movement of the Schengen area. Various national governments in the EU have diverging rules when it comes to tracking the evolution of the infection rate and stopping people coming from high-risk countries from crossing borders. These measures are often decided on unilaterally, without consulting or even informing other countries. Some European leaders are now calling for more coherent and harmonised rules for travel and containment measures across the EU. El Español criticises the European Commission’s slow response to the coronavirus outbreak so far, pointing out how the EU has been struggling to effectively coordinate national government's approaches to managing cross-border travel.

Il Corriere della Sera ran an article this week on Italy's and France's proposal to make Covid-19 tests compulsory for tourists and workers travelling between the two countries. The agreement would be based on the principle of reciprocity, requiring travellers from France and Italy to take a test upon both entry to, and exit from the respective country. This deal could soon also be expanded to Spain. According to the article, bilateral agreements can present a good way to manage cross-border travel when infection numbers are rising. More importantly, it can help the EU to uphold the principle of freedom of movement and prevent a similar situation as during the first coronavirus wave in spring, where most countries closed their borders.

De Standaard reports that the European Commission has denounced Hungary for its decision to unilaterally close its borders, in an attempt to spare the country a second coronavirus wave. The article points out that citizens of the Netherlands, Belgium and France, for instance, are no longer allowed to enter Hungary. At the same time, Slovaks, Poles and Czechs, as citizens of a Visegrad country, may still come to Hungary if they can provide a negative coronavirus test result that is not older than five days. Both the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, and Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson have expressed their concern about Hungary's decision which they classify as discriminatory towards some EU citizens. Moreover, the two commissioners worry that Hungary’s measure undermines the integrity of the Schengen area.  

Spiegel discusses the impact of Covid-19 on the Erasmus programme, assessing the risks and opportunities for students planning to move to another EU country for their studies, as infections in Europe surge. Overall, the article is optimistic and highlights that many European universities continue to support student exchanges this autumn. Even though not all universities will offer face-to-face teaching, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is encouraging German students to go abroad, as long as the country classifies as a no-risk area. Some German universities are also providing alternatives, such as online buddy programmes between students from different universities, or so-called blended mobility. This option allows students to first follow courses online at their university in Germany and to travel to the host country later on. According to DAAD director Stephan Geifes, student exchange programmes in times of Covid-19 remain highly valuable for students. With employers increasingly demanding digital skills from their employees, students can benefit from these intercultural, online experiences, he says. Funding remains an issue, however. German Students will only be covered by the Erasmus grant if they end up moving abroad. If they decide to stay in Germany and follow their host university’s online classes from there, they lose the Erasmus funding.