Hardening borders during the pandemic in the European Union

The Shape of the Schengen Borders Code and the EU Digital COVID Certificate

Authors

  • Dr. Réka Friedery Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57947/qrp.v61i1.29

Keywords:

European Union, COVID-19, Schengen Border Code, EU Digital COVID Certificate, mobility

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic restricted mobility. Border controls, travel restrictions, bans on entry and exit influenced mobility with implications on EU citizens and third-country nationals. When Member States of the European Union were confronted with COVID-19, the first reaction was to turn to border policy, similarly to the migration crisis in 2015. At the beginning of the pandemic, when the articles of the Schengen Borders Code (SBC) were triggered, workers with certain occupations were exempted from the restrictions, and with the introduction of the EU Digital COVID Certificate, people’s mobility was linked to the possession of the health Certificate. This paper presents the multiple layers of free movement and its restrictions. The main aim of the article is to define the scope of the SBC and the EU Digital COVID Certificate that have been used during the crises. The article helps to understand the shortcomings of the EU’s crises management by emphasising the problematic points of the application of the Code and the Certificate with a critical analysis of these measures.

Author Biography

Dr. Réka Friedery, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence

Dr. Réka Friedery is a research fellow at the Center for Social Sciences Centre for Excellence of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.

References

Alemanno, A. (2020). The European response to COVID-19: From regulatory emulation to regulatory coordination? European Journal of Risk Regulation, 11(2), 307-316. https://doi.org/10.1017/err.2020.44

Bassu, C. (2021, June 16). EU Covid Certificate: Un pass(o) verso la libertà. EUBlog – Where is Europe going? https://www.eublog.eu/articolo/34776/EU-Covid-Certificate:-un-pass(o)-verso-la-libert%C3%A0/Bassu

Carrera, S., Stefan, S., Chun Luk, N., & Vosyliüté, L. (2018). The Future of the Schengen Area: Latest developments and challenges in the Schengen governance framework since 2016. Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs. Directorate General for Internal Policies of the Union. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2018/604943/IPOL_STU(2018)604943_EN.pdf

Dobbs, M. (2020). National governance of public health responses in a pandemic? European Journal of Risk Regulation, 111(2), 240–248.

Friedery, R. (2020). A szabad mozgás tagállamok közötti korlátozásának kérdései a COVID–19 idején/Questions regarding free movement restrictions between Member States during COVID-19. In G.-O. Fruzsina & L. V. Olivér (Eds.), Jogi diagnózisok. A COVID–19-világjárvány hatásai a jogrendszerre. Társadalomtudomány Kutatóközpont Jogtudományi Intézet – L’Harmattan Kiadó, (pp. 261–272).

Guild, E., Brouwer, E., Groenendijk, K., & Carrera, S. (2015). What is happening to the Schengen borders? CEPS Paper in Liberty and Security in Europe. https://www.ceps.eu/download/publication/?id=9209&pdf=No%2086%20Schengenland_0.pd

Guillaume, S. (2022). Revision of the Schengen Borders Code/After 2021-2022. European Parliament, Legislative Train Schedule 08.2022: Promoting our European way of life. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/carriage/revision-of-the-schengen-borders-code/report?sid=6101

Kenwick, M. R., & Simmons, B. A. (2020). Pandemic Response as Border Politics. International Organization, 74, E36-E58. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-organization/article/pandemic-response-as-border-politics/0A9FC8629BF379D0CFFADD0661547DA3/core-reader

Niestadt, M. (2022, March). Extension of the EU Digital Covid Certificate. EPRS_European Parliamentary Reserch Service. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/729310/EPRS_ATA(2022)729310_EN.pdf

Opilowska, E. (2021). The Covid-19 crisis: The end of a borderless Europe? European Societies, 23(1), 589–600.

Pacces, A. M., & Weimer, M. (2020). A European approach to COVID-19. European Journal of Risk Regulation, 11(2), 283–296.

Radil, S. M., Pinos, J. C., & Ptak, T. (2021). Borders resurgent: Towards a post-Covid-19 global border regime? Space and Polity, 25(1), 132–140.

Ramji-Nogales, J. & Goldner Lang, I. (2020). Freedom of movement, migration, and borders, Journal of Human Rights, 19(5), 593-602, https://doi.org/10.1080/14754835.2020.1830045

Sanchez, G. & Achilli, L. (2020). Stranded: The impacts of COVID-19 on irregular migration and migrant smuggling. EUI. Migration Policy Center. https://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/67069

Schengenvisainfo.com. (2020). EU decides to close all Schengen Borders for 30 days. https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/breaking-eu-decides-to-close-all-schengen-borders-for-30-days/

Schengenvisainfo.com. (2022a). EU Parliament committee supports extension of COVID Certificate Framework for another year. https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/eu-parliament-committee-supports-extension-of-covid-certificate-framework-for-another-year/

Schengenvisainfo.com. (2022b). EU Council approves amendments to the EU Digital COVID Certificate & its one-year extension. https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/eu-council-approves-amendments-to-the-eu-digital-covid-certificate-its-one-year-extension/

van der Woude, M. (2020). A patchwork of intra-Schengen policing: Border games over national identity and national sovereignty. Theoretical Criminology, 24(1), 121–122.

Wolff, S. & Ladi, S. (2020). European Union responses to the Covid-19 pandemic: Adaptability in times of permanent emergency. Journal of European Integration, 42(8),1025-1040, https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2020.1853120.

WHO (2021, February 5): Interim position paper: Considerations regarding proof of COVID-19 vaccination for international travellers. https://www.who.int/news-room/articles-detail/interim-position-paper-considerations-regarding-proof-of-covid-19-vaccination-for-international-travellers

Zaiotti, R., & Abdulhamid, N. A. (2021). Inside out and outside. In: COVID-19 and the Reconfiguration of Europe’s External Border Controls. Historical Social Research, 46(3), 106-123. https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.46.2021.3.106-123

Downloads

Published

09/20/2022

How to Cite

Friedery, R. (2022). Hardening borders during the pandemic in the European Union: The Shape of the Schengen Borders Code and the EU Digital COVID Certificate. Quarterly on Refugee Problems - AWR Bulletin, 61(1), 71–84. https://doi.org/10.57947/qrp.v61i1.29

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.