France is preparing to follow several European countries in a cautious deconfinement.
According to the French Prime Minister Éduoard Philippe, from 15 June 2020, France will likely open the borders for non-essential purposes to all EU, Schengen and United Kingdom citizens, given that the situation does not worsen in the meantime.
“Some European countries chose to reopen their borders before others, and I respect that decision…We take our decisions at our own pace, and we believe that the right time to access our territory is June 15,” Prime Minister Philippe said during a press conference.
According to Éduoard Philippe, the quarantine will not be obligatory for travellers from within the EU. However, such a measure can be imposed on the nationals of countries that require French citizens to go through quarantine, such as Spain and the United Kingdom. “France will be for the reopening of EU inner borders, starting from June 15, if the health situation allows it, of course, without two-week self-isolation for travellers coming from a European country. We will apply reciprocity measures towards EU countries who decide to close their borders or impose two-week quarantines to French people,” the PM said.
France closed its inner borders, as well as its share of the external Schengen borders on March 17, upon a recommendation of the European Union Commission on the closure of Schengen and EU borders for non-EEA citizens. Since then, entry into France has been permitted only for French travellers, cross-border workers and expats, given that they hold a special certificate.
Sources @schengenvisainfo.com, information.tv5monde.com, www.valeursactuelles.com.
