GrenzInfoPunkt EUREGIO (The Netherlands-Germany)

• Author: Viaggi, Raffaele; Rubio, Jean; Peyrony, Jean
• Pages: 14-15

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

CASE STUDIES

14

GrenzInfoPunkt EUREGIO (The Netherlands-

Germany)

Border controls and

cross-border mobility

(Reduced crossings points,

type of controls, conges-

tion, CB public transport…)

The Netherlands did not introduce border controls with Germany.

Germany did not officially introduce border controls with the

Netherlands but some health checks were performed starting

from 13 March 2020.

The border has never been closed in the sense of physically clos-

ing the border, impermeably, here. Different border measures

were taken by North Rhine Westphalia (NRW), the Netherlands

and Belgium. There have been changes on the timetable of public

transport during the crisis as less people made use of trains and

buses; moreover, an emergency plan was set up. Due to re-

strictions to individual mobility, a general decrease of movement

could be noticed while the strictest rules were implemented.

CB coordination and dia-

logue during the crisis

and the de-containment

phase

(Evolution in border con-

trols and effects of the lift-

ing of border controls)

Border crossings were not closed. However, commuters had to

expect increased controls by the German and Dutch authorities

as the Netherlands was temporarily considered a coronavirus risk

area. The measures only applied to the border between NRW and

The Netherlands initially, and Lower Saxony followed only later

on. During the summer, decisions were mainly taken locally, at

the regional level, while before they were rather met as directives

at the national level.

Impact on cross-border

workers

Among CB workers, employees and self-employed were the most

heavily affected by those measures.