European Union

At the last minute, the German Bundesrat approved a new fertiliser regulation to avoid having to pay high penalties to the EU on Friday. But many farmers are afraid of going bankrupt, now that they will not be allowed to use as much fertiliser, starting in 2021. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Serbia will receive a portion of the $274 million set aside for urgent medical needs of US states for which Serbia had already forwarded a list of much-needed supplies, the US ambassador to Serbia, said on Friday (27 March). In...

Croatian Interior Minister Davor Božinović rejected the idea of restricting human rights amid the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. “People are increasingly aware of the situation, which is why the civic guard has decided to undertake such determinate measures according...

As Bulgaria reported a total of 346 confirmed coronavirus cases and eight deaths as of Sunday (29 March) with the average age of patients being 66, the head of the national COVID-19 task force, Ventsislav Moutafchiiski, had said that it...

Over the weekend, Slovakia’s coalition parties had agreed on the first rescue package for firms and self-employed people struggling with the COVID-19 crisis. The package will unlock up to €1 billion per month, which is approximately 1% of the country’s...

As Poland reported 1,862 COVID-19 cases (224 on Sunday) and 22 deaths as of Sunday (29 March), the lower chamber of parliament, known as the Sejm, approved the anticrisis measures that are supposed to help entrepreneurs. Yet, during the evening...

The thousands of migrants at the Kastanies border town between Turkey and Greece are desperate to reach Europe and furious with Greeks who "won't open the gates".

As Spain’s number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased to 78,797 with a death toll of 6,528, Spain was braced for more stringent lockdown measures as authorities try to soften the blow of the coronavirus pandemic on the country’s already overstretched...

Belgian minister Philippe De Backer (Open VLD), who heads the task force for the management and supply of COVID-19 equipment, has proposed to increase testing to determine who may be immune to the coronavirus and able to go back to...

The head of Germany’s research agency for infectious diseases warned that the healthcare system could be overrun. Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute, warned in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that the country does not have sufficient capacity in...

The anti-EU sentiment in Italy mounted over the weekend after the interview of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen with German news agency DPA. The Commission president dismissed the idea of coronabond as “just a popular word right now,”...

Written by Costica Dumbrava and Giulio Sabbati,

The Schengen Area

The Schengen Area consists of 26 countries that have agreed to remove regular checks at their internal borders in order to facilitate the free and unrestricted movement of people: 22 EU Member States (Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden), and 4 associated countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein). The Schengen Borders Code lays down the common rules governing the management of internal and external EU borders, including rules and procedures concerning the exceptional introduction of border checks at internal borders. According to the Code, Member States can introduce temporary border checks at their internal borders in cases of a foreseeable threat (e.g. a special event), an immediate threat or in the situation of persistent serious deficiencies relating to external borders.

In March 2020, the coronavirus outbreak has pushed many Member States to reintroduce border controls at internal borders on the grounds of an immediate threat to public policy. According to Article 28 of the Code, the duration of such exceptional measure must be limited to no more than ten days, with the possibility to extend them by renewable periods of 20 days, up to a maximum of two months. Member States must notify the Commission and the other Member States before taking action, specifying the reasons, scope and duration of the measures. This information must be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council too. The Commission is supposed to issue an opinion after consulting the other Member States.

In order to ensure the free circulation of goods and services in the single market during the ongoing health crisis, the European Commission put forward guidelines for border management measures. On 17 March, the members of the European Council accepted the Commission’s proposal to introduce a coordinated restriction of non-essential travel into the EU for a period of 30 days. The travel restriction provides for exemptions for nationals of all EU Member States and Schengen Associated States (UK nationals will be treated in the same way as EU citizens due to the current transition period), for the purposes of returning to their homes and for travellers with an essential function or need. As of 24 March, all Member States except Ireland (due to its common travel area with the UK) have implemented the temporary restriction.

The European Parliament has consistently defended the Schengen Area and condemned the unjustified reintroduction of internal borders. On 16 March, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, the Chair of the Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE), called for a coordinated approach and urged Member States to take measures that fully respect the Schengen rules and the principles of proportionality, solidarity among Member States, and non-discrimination.

Read the complete briefing on ‘The impact of coronavirus on Schengen borders‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Moscow authorities will on Monday (30 March) impose tighter restrictions on residents in an attempt to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Police with batons and guns have moved in to protect supermarkets on the Italian island of Sicily after reports of looting by locals who could no longer afford food.

Ireland’s government is to roll out a voluntary phone-tracking app to alert users if someone they have been in contact with develops COVID-19, its health service said on Sunday, two weeks before the pandemic is expected to peak in the country.

Europe’s ambitious plans for road transport decarbonisation need a “reality check” in order to result in a pragmatic decrease of emissions and oil products, energy stakeholders told EURACTIV.com.

Spain prepared to enter its third week under near-total lockdown on Sunday (29 March), as the government approved a strengthening of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus and the death toll rose by 838 cases overnight to 6,528.

The photonics industry is an emerging but already consolidating market, with more than 100 acquisitions per year. But does Europe lack a financial market for the technology? EPIC's Carlos Lee explores.

Polish employer’s organisations and trade unions protested on Sunday (29 March) against what they called an attack by the authorities on the independence of the country’s Social Dialogue Council and the autonomy of social partner organisations, under the disguise of measures to combat COVID-19.

France used two high-speed trains and a German military plane to move more than three dozen critically ill coronavirus patients on Sunday (29 March) to ease the pressure on overwhelmed hospitals in eastern France.