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Confusion at French-German border over reopening date

The EU wants a coordinated reopening of borders, but it seems that for 24 hours the France-Germany border will only be open one way.

Published: 13 June 2020 07:25 CEST

Confusion at French-German border over reopening date

Photo: AFP

From Monday, June 15th, the majority of European countries will be reopening their borders and lifting the restrictions that had been in place during the Covid-19 pandemic.

READ ALSO France will reopen its borders for European travel on June 15th

But the border between France and Germany seems to be the source of some confusion over the reopening date – with traffic going one way only for the first 24 hours.

The French government has confirmed that it will be reopening its borders from midnight on June 15th – ie overnight Sunday/Monday.

A joint statement from France's Interior Minister Christophe Castaner and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said: “France will lift on the morning of June 15th (00h00) all restrictions on movement at its internal European borders (land, air and sea) put in place to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.”

But the German foreign ministry on Friday confirmed to The Local that border restrictions along the French border would end on Monday night at midnight.

READ ALSO Germany set to lift land border checks late on Monday

Therefore on Monday, people will be allowed to enter France from Germany, but anyone wanting to enter Germany from France will still face border restrictions.

Germany was one of the first countries in Europe to confirm that it would be reopening borders on June 15th, while France said only that it “aimed” to do so, until the official confirmation on Friday.

According to German media reports, the reopening of the French German border was pushed back to allow for a delay from the French.

Local politicians on both sides of the border have called for clarity on the arrangements.

MP for the Bas-Rhin département Antoine Herth told France bleu radio: “One gets the impression that there is a lack of consultation between the German and French authorities, which has been the rule since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis.”

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Thunderstorms, floods and traffic: France’s last holiday weekend in May

Monday, May 20th is a holiday for most of France, marking the Christian festival of Pentecost, which means that many people will enjoy a three-day weekend.

This is the last of four public holidays in France in May 2024, now we need to wait until August for another extra day off work (since the Fête National on July 14th falls on a Sunday this year).

So what can we expect for the long weekend? Well, bad weather and heavy traffic, unfortunately.

The Moselle département, in north-east France, was placed on red weather alert on Friday after hours of heavy rain caused flash flooding.

The red weather alert initially runs until 9pm on Friday, with between 80mm and 100mm of rain expected, while between 70mm and 90mm are predicted in the far north of the neighbouring Bas-Rhin, with up to 70mm expected further south – figures national forecaster Météo-France said approached records for daily rainfall figures in the region.

Orange alerts in the area remain in place on Saturday.

Image: Météo-France

Rain and occasional storms, some bringing hail, are expected to develop across large parts of the country throughout the weekend, with only the Mediterranean areas likely to remain dry on Saturday.

Showers and sunny spells will continue into Sunday and Monday, with occasional thunderstorms in the south-west. Temperatures throughout the weekend should rise to between 15C and 22C.

To make family getaways on the final long weekend of the month even more difficult, roads watchdog Bison Futé predicts ‘difficult’, or ‘very difficult’ travel conditions on key routes across the country.

Image: Bison Fute

On Friday, traffic is expected to be heavy on routes heading away from major cities towards popular holiday destinations until well into the evening – especially on Paris’s Périphérique and the A86 and A6B, the A7, along the Mediterranean Arc and on the Atlantic seaboard (A11, N165 and A63).

The A13 is likely to remain closed to traffic between Paris and Vaucresson across the holiday weekend, so drivers from the Paris region wishing to reach Normandy are advised to take the A14, A15 or N12

On Saturday, May 18th, conditions on the roads will be difficult nationwide, particularly on roads serving the Mediterranean arc (A7 and A9) and the Atlantic coast (A63 and N165). In the Île-de-France region, traffic will be heavy from early morning onwards on the A6 and A10. From mid-morning onwards, traffic is expected to intensify significantly.

Image: Bison Fute

Routes converging on the A10 and A6 could also see traffic problems on Saturday, Bison Futé warned.

No major forecastable traffic problems are expected on Sunday – but, on Monday, May 20th, short breakers will be returning home, leading to heavy traffic across the country, notably on A7 and A9, in the Mediterranean region, and routes serving the west of the country.

Traffic will be heavy on the A10 and A6 in the Île-de-France region from late morning into the evening. The A13, which should be open, could also experience traffic problems from mid-afternoon onwards, and could continue to do so well into the evening.

Across the country banks and public administration offices will close. Some independent shops may close, while larger stores and chains are more likely to be open, but probably with altered opening hours.

Most bars, restaurants and cafés will remain open while public transport will run as normal.

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