“One coordinated effort is necessary ”and restrictions“ must be based on objective criteria, must not damage the functioning of the single market and not disproportionately hinder the freedom of movement between Member States or to travel to the EU “. These are the conclusions of the EU Council still underway, according to what is learned, regarding the restrictions adopted to counter the spread of coronavirus in Europe, after the unilateral decisions of some countries, including Italy, to return incoming tests are mandatory also to vaccinated people from the rest of the EU. It’s a European Council however full of issues to be addressed urgently, the first without Angela Merkel and with the new German chancellor Olaf Scholz. From the emergency theme of migrants to the equally urgent one of energy supply, after the threats of the Belarus to close the pipeline Yamal-Europe, until to travel restrictions connected to the new wave of Covid in the EU and the new tension on the border between Ukraine e Russia, with the president Vladimir Putin that he amassed 175 thousand soldiers at the border causing fear for one new invasion. The first to speak, as usual, was the president of the outgoing EU Parliament, David Sassoli, which fears a new bogging down of negotiations between the governments of the 27 member states, and therefore calls for “don’t be afraid of change, we must not tremble in the face of innovations ”. The EU must “urgently find an agreement” on the pact for migration and asylum, “Otherwise they will be the populism and the short-term solutions to prevail in this dossier “, he declared, then relaunching the message already explained by Emmanuel Macron in view of the French presidency on the need to favor expansionary policies keeping away the temptation of a new one austerity: “These innovations do not even exempt us from adapting our financial framework to the challenges of our century, realistically reforming the Stability and Growth Pact. We can no longer cage our future and that of our children in 3% rule”
The president ofEurocamera it tries to trace the path in the near future of the EU, not limiting itself to intervening on the topical issues, but listing the three actions to be taken to relaunch the Union: “Innovate, protect, disseminate”. “I thought it important to take advantage of this speech to draw everyone’s attention to the shortcomings of the project – he said at the opening – ‘Innovate, protect, disseminate’ here are the three proposals to guide the renewal of our European project”. He then turned directly to Macron explaining that “during my visit to Paris last Thursday I took note of the motto chosen by France for its presidency of the Council of the Union: ‘Relaunch, power, belonging’. I note that this is a completely coherent choice with the one I was talking about because we cannot relaunch without innovating, because the power we want for our Union must serve to affirm our vision of the world and therefore protect European citizens, because citizens Europeans will feel they belong to Europe only if its political model sets an example and attracts. I am therefore delighted that these different visions of the future meet. It is now up to us to translate these visions into concrete actions, so that Europe maintains its rank and its promises at the service of all European citizens ”, he concluded by ‘blessing’ the route taken by Paris. And on the tensions on the Belarusian border, both for the migration issue and for the risk of a gas supply block with the winter approaching, he declares: “The recent events on the Belarusian border have clearly demonstrated the need for resolute action and solidarity “. And to avoid the measures being blocked, as often happens in the Council, the head of the European Parliament goes back to saying that “unanimity and the right of veto are anachronistic, especially in a Europe with many countries. Democracy is made of majority and opposition“.
The issue that worries European leaders most, at least according to the declarations made at the entrance of the EU Council, seems to be that of controls at both internal and external borders of the EU. “We will still emphasize today that the inviolability of borders is one of the most important foundations of peace in Europe and that all together we do everything possible to ensure that this invulnerability remains “, said Scholz who, as leader of one of the main countries of final destination of migratory flows, promotes the latest proposal of the Commission which, among other things, provides strengthened controls at external borders, but also easier to implement internal rejections, towards the countries of first landing, the possibility of reintroduce border controls between the EU states in “exceptional cases” and of exceptions to the initiation of asylum procedures. “Faced with the hybrid attack by Belarus on the European border, we expressed our solidarity with Poland“, The situation” represents a great challenge and we will do everything together to repel the attacks “of Minsk and “to ensure they don’t work”. But he is keen to emphasize that “Europe has already undertaken some activities together”, for example to stop the smuggling of migrants through the airlines, and continues to work “united”.
This is also what the Slovenian premier hopes Janez Janša: “I hope that we will have a coordinated approach at European level on travel restrictions. That’s what we need. It is the EU that must coordinate reactions in situations like these and I believe that we are close to an agreement“. “The best thing for travel – argues the Latvian Prime Minister instead Krisjanis Karins – would be to have widespread tests, masks and vaccinations, but don’t stop them, ”he said after that Ireland, Portugal, Italy e Greece they also introduced the obligation to test for vaccinated people from other EU countries.
On the other hand, those who declare themselves opposed to the measures taken by the four Member States are the head of the government of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, according to which “if we say that PCR swabs are more important than vaccines, people will no longer have any motivation to get vaccinated, I think it’s a wrong idea”. These are “choices of national competence” that “everyone can make, but I think it is very important to keep the vaccination certificate”, any alternative is “a false signal”, he highlighted. Vision similar to that of the Estonian premier, Kaja Kallas: “The validity of the Covid certificate and the travel rules must be unified throughout the EU and we will talk about this to the Council”. Sassoli himself believes that “all actions should be coordinated. This too is part of an EU that does not have the ability to promptly address the issues that Covid submits to us “. And from EU sources close to the Council it emerges that “many leaders have raised the issue of international coordination, the need to adequately inform partners on European measures” and to take “proportionate action”.