A casual remark by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) that one “shouldn't travel” this year is causing confusion in the travel industry. Especially the addition that the government wants to exhaust all means to make travel as complicated as possible does not give a very euphoric perspective.
At the federal press conference held on Tuesday, Merkel said: “And overall, I am not hiding the fact that we are actually giving the travel advice that you shouldn't travel this year. That is why we try to achieve what we can with the legal means available to us ”.
Since the German Chancellor did not give any further details, the two sentences leave plenty of room for speculation. It is clear, however, that the recent Mallorca boom around Easter prompted the head of government to also discourage vacationing abroad in the summer of 2021 by means of complicated travel rules. From a legal point of view, Germany has no way to forbid leaving the country, but the return can be made extremely rocky, for example with a quarantine obligation.
Green Pass could be reduced to absurdity
Angela Merkel's announcement should also be the first admission that many people will not have access to Covid vaccinations until the summer holidays. In any case, the German Chancellor is obviously trying to agree to travel restrictions that will last much longer. A few days ago, the industry was initially pleased with the Green Pass. Throughout the entire corona pandemic, Germany shone again and again with national solo efforts that deviated greatly from decisions taken jointly at EU level. The Federal Republic is not an isolated case, because almost all member states still prefer to cook their own soup.
Therefore, the effects of the Green Pass could be more symbolic, because it is explicitly intended that the national governments continue to determine the entry requirements themselves. This means that a “green light” in the app could entitle you to travel to Austria or Malta, for example, but Germany could still require quarantine. It is up to the EU Commission to ensure clear and uniform rules, otherwise the “Green Pass” will be a flop like the Austrian Corona traffic light.