Austria - Czech Republic border region

• Author: Viaggi, Raffaele; Rubio, Jean; Peyrony, Jean
• Pages: 53-54

ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF BORDER-RELATED MEASURE S TAKEN BY MS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19

CASE STUDIES

53

Austria – Czech Republic border region

Border controls and cross-

border mobility

(Reduced crossings points,

type of controls, congestion,

CB public transport…)

The border was closed in mid-March, but freight traffic was

kept operational. After borders were opened again, conges-

tions were not common: traffic jumped back to previous, nor-

mal rates.

CB coordination and dia-

logue during the crisis and

the de-containment phase

(Evolution in border controls

and effects of the lifting of

border controls)

Even though decisions were made on the national level, sev-

eral stakeholders could take part in the decision-making pro-

cess. For instance, Austrian Emergency Medical Services

were in continuous dialogue with the Embassy in the Czech

Republic, sharing information and organizing the continuation

of cross-border emergency services.

Impact on cross-border

workers

(Remote working and taxa-

tion, social security, unem-

ployment…)

Remote working was introduced in a large extent, but there

were also cases for employees to be sent to paid or unpaid

holidays. The case of the commuting workers was handled as

a priority and was solved through a bilateral agreement be-

tween Austria and theCzech Republic. Thus, soaring

unemployment was not reported in the region.

Impact on the users of

cross-border public ser-

vices (CPS) (healthcare, in-

formation to citizens,

education…)

On this border section, the ambulance vehicles could move

around freely. Even though there were some administrative

and communication difficulties during the early days of the

pandemic, the service managed to keep operating during the

whole period of the lockdown.

Impact on economic activi-

ties

(retail, shops, businesses,

tourism…)

As everywhere, the tourism section of the economy was hit

the hardest due to the restricted movement of people, but also

shops and restaurants struggled to keep their business float-