Today 9 June, Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets sent a letter to the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean, Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johannson, Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders and Commissioner for Jobs Nicolas Schmidt to raise the proportionality of travel restrictions in light of the decision made by the Finnish Government last week. The minister also contacted the transport commissioner on the same issue by telephone and drew the Commission’s attention to the restrictions Finland has imposed on free movement in the Schengen area.
Estonia is concerned about the fact that while on 3 June the Finnish government decided to allow entry to people working in Finland from 7 June, it is only possible by plane. The justification for these restrictions remains unclear.
“For Estonia, the principle of the free movement of people is of utmost importance. It is one of the fundamental principles of the European Union. Health concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led several countries to impose various restrictions on the free movement of people. However, these must be justified and proportional, and should not entail practical impediments to cross-border labour migration. If member states impose restrictions that violate these criteria, especially when it comes to labour migration, it has a serious impact on the interests and rights of the citizens of other member states. I would like to draw the attention of the European Commission to the restrictions Finland has imposed on free movement in the Schengen area,” the minister underlined in her letter today.
Estonia considers the restrictions on free movement currently in force in Finland disproportionate and unjustified. The foreign minister would like the European Commission to assess whether they are in line with European Union law.
“I would like to reiterate that according to paragraph 1 of Article 21 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, every citizen of the Union has the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the member states, subject to the limitations and conditions laid down in the Treaties and by the measures adopted to give them effect. The freedom of movement and of residence is also laid down in Article 45 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. When imposing and adapting restrictions on free movement, member states should respect the principles of EU law, in particular the principle of proportionality and non-discrimination. Restrictions of this kind should be the last resort under extraordinary circumstances, and proportional. According to our assessment, Finland’s restrictions no longer meet these conditions,” the minister explained.
Additional information:
Communication Department
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
[email protected]
