tourism is crucial for the Greek economy. First employer of the country, it represents 18% of the GDP. The sector is, however, also be volatile as seasonal : 75% of the overnight stays take place between the months of may and September. Suffice to say that the season 2020 may be largely hampered by the closure of the borders put in place to combat the Covid-19.

The country recently re-opened its doors to Europeans, after several months of confinement. Several planes coming in from Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna or Munich have been able to ask on Monday at the Athens airport. But Greece intends to welcome travelers from much further away, and invited the travellers of several regions located outside the EU, such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea or China to come to spend their holidays on its territory. But the can only, while the external borders of the Schengen area have been closed since mid-march ?

A Member

The authorities of various european executives have hammered the barriers of the Schengen area were impassable, but there is in reality no binding mechanism to enforce this decision. “Legally, it is the member States who are the masters of the game and that the final decision rests, said on the side of the european Commission. These remain sovereign. The mandate endorsed by the european Commission can coordinate the removal of the external borders, but it excludes any constraint. If a State wants to reopen its border, he can do it.” Remains the “diplomatic channels” to try to persuade a potential recalcitrant.

read also : Coronaviruses : discover the country, who re-opened their borders

To recall, the Schengen area consists of 26 countries, including 22 european Union members and four from outside the EU (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein). To the reverse 5 of them are not part of this space of free movement (Ireland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania). It is, therefore, 26 the decisions that the Commission is attempting to coordinate because, recall the Commission, “free movement of third-country nationals entering the Schengen area means that these decisions of a member State may have an impact on other member States”. Today, Brussels recommends that you do not open the external borders of Schengen before the 1st of July. If many States decide to follow these recommendations, some have already taken a few largesse. Greece already, in the month of April, in full confinement, had decided to enter on its territory a certain number of Albanians to fill the gap of seasonal workers in the fields of the country.

The difficult coordination

The Commission had previously attempted to harmonize the decisions on the closures interior of the EU. In vain : each State has chosen to apply its own rules. While it is recommended “to abolish checks at internal borders at the latest by 15 June, several States, such as Denmark, Finland or Hungary have chosen not to open their territory to a very limited number of travelers. Others, such as Sweden or the netherlands have never applied restrictions. Again, the last word goes to the States.

The invitation of the Greece will be entered for so much ? Nothing is less sure. Australia, for example, prohibits for the time being to its nationals to leave its territory. In addition, as it is not possible to directly link the two countries, the trip would require a stopover in an airport in asia or the Middle East. Stop that would lead to a quarantine for travelers on their arrival in Greece, according to the specific rules laid down by Athens.

The editorial team conseilleCoronavirus : discover the country, who re-opened their frontièresÀ Strasbourg, a rush of local elected officials toward the German border rouverteSujetsGrèceCoronavirusUnion européenneespace SchengenCovid -19frontières4 commentairesJacques of Molayle 16/06/2020 14:55

All except migrants.

ALOISTZIle 16/06/2020 14:49

I have requested the deletion of my data and my messages within 72 hours. This is at least ten days !

Roger Stone 3le 16/06/2020 14:42

I read I understood nothing ! It is yes or no ?

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