Belgium reopens its borders without consultation with neighboring countries

Correspondent in Brussels

A blow of heat between Paris and Brussels and a nervous breakdown at the crossing points between France and Belgium on this Pentecost weekend. While the Belgian government plans to reopen its borders from June 8, it announced Friday through the voice of the Federal Minister of the Interior, Pieter de Crem, that the Belgians could go the next day to the countries bordering the Kingdom to see family or ... go shopping. France was not warned. And therefore pushes back since Saturday those who are trying to pass since, on the French side, the reopening is only scheduled for June 15.

I received almost 300 messages from people who did not understand what was happening

" It is not yet possible to go shopping at the Carrefour de Lille, " it was said on Saturday at the Ministry of the Interior. And, to add to an already complicated situation, it has also happened that Belgians were turned back by Belgian police officers who had not been informed of the easing measures decided by the Wilmès government. The case raised a lot of questions among the French living in Belgium but also among the Belgians themselves. " I received nearly 300 messages from people who did not understand what was happening, " says Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade, deputy for French nationals abroad for the Benelux area.

This unilateral decision raised some questions in France. Especially since this possibility would not have been mentioned during the telephone exchange that had this week the French Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner and his Belgian counterpart, Pieter de Crem. In the Netherlands, the sudden change of foot of the Belgian government also annoyed somewhat. Admittedly, the borders remained open throughout the crisis on the Dutch side. But the mayors of the municipalities bordering on Belgium believe that they should have been kept informed. " The Belgians are good at surprise tactics ," joked on Twitter, Marga Vermue, the mayor of Sluis. Other elected officials say that in the event of too large an influx, they will return visitors to Belgium.

In Luxembourg, on the other hand, we welcomed the Belgian decision. " This is a gesture appreciated on the eve of the Pentecost weekend, which will allow families to meet again after weeks of separation. This decision taken by the federal government should help to defuse a situation which remains difficult on our border with Belgium ", reacted on Friday the Luxembourgish Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn who had railed against the closure of the German border.

It is not the first time that Belgium has gone it alone on these internal border issues. At the start of the coronavirus crisis, this country had also closed its borders unilaterally, without any consultation with the governments of neighboring countries. For several weeks, the Commission has called on the Member States to coordinate at regular intervals.