Coronavirus DK: Border skirmish - the next front

Yesterday, the EU Commission presented a tourism package (DK) that is intended to rescue the summer tourist season in Europe. Germany had just announced that it will open its borders tomorrow, and Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition and Danish Social Liberal politician, urged other member states to follow suit. The Danish government has said that it will not consider reopening the borders until after June 1. When asked whether that was too late, Vestager responded, “Both service and production businesses need to move across borders to a greater extent,” adding that all the necessary precautions must be taken.

The package is set of recommendations and guidelines for the member states. For example, people should not travel if they are sick; passengers should check in online and avoid lines at the airport; airlines should not serve food on board; they should take fewer passengers; unrelated passengers should not sit close together; hotels and camping grounds should follow strict hygiene policies. In the first phase, the EU recommends that countries with similar levels of infection (DK) open their borders to each other, for example Denmark and Greece, where the epidemic is under control. The entire Schengen region should not open until later.

Digital travel solutions

The Commission will also develop an interactive map that shows the status of the epidemic in various regions and will present guidelines that will allow the “corona apps” from each country to function in the other member states. The EU has no authority to determine the policies of member states, however. Tourism represents 10 percent of the EU’s economy, and 27 million jobs, directly or indirectly, depend on it, mostly in southern Europe. It represents 8 percent of the Danish economy.

The pandemic has of course been a disaster for countries with a large tourism industry (DK). The Cannes Film Festival should be taking place at the moment, for example, but the many hotels in the region are empty. Italy only last week relaxed restrictions for its own citizens, who must present documentation if they want to travel between regions. Spain, which is also heavily dependent on tourism, is still in the early stages of reopening. Airlines, whose business has plummeted during the crisis, have canceled many flights and passengers are demanding refunds. The airlines have asked for permission to issue credits toward future flights instead, but the Commission has rejected the request.

Pressure from the right

A majority of the Danish parliamentary parties is reportedly in favor of at least a partial opening (DK), for example for German and Norwegian tourists or for people who rent summer houses. At Parliament’s latest question session, representatives of three right-wing opposition parties pressed the government (DK) to follow Germany’s initiative. Danish Justice Minister Nick Hækkerup, however, maintained that Denmark is not ready to put the positive developments in controlling the coronavirus at risk, noting that the epidemic entered the country with skiers returning from Austria and Italy in February. It costs Denmark DKK 107 million ($15 million) for every day that the borders are closed, said Ulla Tørnæs from the Liberal Party. 

Hækkerup answered that the losses could be even greater if the borders are opened too soon and the epidemic flares up again. He was open to the possibility of allowing foreigners who already have a rental contract to enter the country, but the session was frustrating for parties on both sides of the debate. “I must confess that I have not become much wiser from this answer,” said Tørnæs after another testy exchange. Not all parties are in favor of an immediate relaxation of border restrictions. The Red-Green Party, for example, warns that the country shouldn’t drop its precautions simply because of the positive trend in limiting infections.