The German border closings are causing open anger in Austria.
The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder is now also being weathered.
The corona-related border closings between Bavaria and Tyrol are causing upset.
More and more voices from Austria criticize the decision of the German government.
(
see update from February 16, 8:45 p.m.
).
A party from Tyrol is now shooting sharply against the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (
see update from February 15, 9:50 a.m.
).
Update from February 16, 8:45 p.m.:
In Austria, criticism of the borders with Germany that have been closed since Sunday is increasing.
Vorarlberg Governor Markus Wallner called Bavaria's behavior "out of the question" at a press conference.
The restrictions in rush hour traffic should be ended immediately.
“You talk differently among neighbors,” says Wallner.
Bavaria's tone of voice towards Austria is inappropriate, and one does not have to abuse oneself, according to the ÖVP politician.
He can understand precautionary measures, but normal commercial traffic must work.
Since Bavaria has tightened the rules regarding Tyrol without any agreements and "overnight", one must expect that the German state would behave in a similar situation towards Vorarlberg, said Wallner.
He is therefore watching the matter with a certain concern.
In a video conference of the international Lake Constance Conference, to which Bavaria also belongs, Wallner now wants to try to achieve the "best possible coordination".
Corona border controls scandal: change in mood?
Austrian newspaper becomes sarcastic - "Poor Tyrolean people"
Update from February 16, 1.40 p.m.:
The dispute over the German entry restrictions at the Tyrolean border continues to cause waves in Austria - Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg had sharply criticized the Federal Republic and Bavaria on Monday: Germany was cutting itself "into its own flesh" he explained the
picture
.
Nonetheless: On Tuesday it became public that Angela Merkel's Health Minister Jens Spahn would like to extend the regulations.
And at least in parts of the Austrian media there were voices to be read that did not at all match the outrage in Innsbruck and Vienna.
Die Presse
ruled
in a comment that Germany had initially overshot its target.
To pretend the measures were out of thin air, but is a "psychoacrobatic displacement performance of the special class" - a discipline in which Austria, unlike in the fight against corona, is among the best in the world.
The control is not there to “secede” - that is, to annoy the poor Tyrolean people - but because Tyrol is a focal point of the South African Corona mutant.
“The gap between the way Austria is perceived and how it is perceived by others is always astonishing.
The virus always comes from somewhere else, just not from Austria, ”said the liberal daily newspaper.
However, the opinion is not divided.
The
day before, there had been a clear broadside in the direction of Bavaria
from the more left-wing
standard
: “Obviously Söder has forgotten that many people travel to and from work between Tyrol and Bavaria.
First of all, slamming the border shut and then considering exemptions is absurd, ”was the newspaper's comment.
"But Söder likes to present himself as a hands-on crisis manager who conjures up great and quick solutions out of his hat," the paper judged - quite in keeping with a current internal German debate.
Corona border controls: Sharp Tyrol attack on Söder - Austria confirms delicate process
Update from February 15, 1:50 p.m.:
In the meantime, the Austrian government has officially confirmed the diplomatic escalation surrounding the border closings on Sunday evening - and chosen soothing words.
The German ambassador in Vienna, Ralf Beste, was informed of the disproportionate German steps from an Austrian point of view during a conversation in the Foreign Ministry on Sunday evening, said a spokeswoman for the ministry.
The factual conversation took place in a good atmosphere at a high official level, it said.
There was criticism of Interior Minister Horst Seehofer's (CSU) course on Monday from Germany.
He expects Seehofer to communicate difficult decisions such as border controls "openly and transparently to our European partners and the EU" instead of reacting to "factual objections with polemical attacks against the EU," said the deputy chairman of the SPD parliamentary group , Achim Post, the
Rheinische Post
.
Seehofer's department, on the other hand, defended the strict border controls with the Czech Republic and Austria again.
The spread of mutated variants of the corona virus could be "significantly inhibited", said Interior Secretary Stephan Mayer (CSU) on Monday on Deutschlandfunk.
The border controls are "not nice", but "unfortunately necessary" at the moment.
Corona scandal: sharp Tyrol attack on Söder due to border controls - "not worthy"
Update from February 15, 9:50 a.m.:
The fuss about border controls continues.
Strict controls now apply in Bavaria.
These have also been introduced on the Czech border.
Another decisive factor is that the border areas often have the highest seven-day incidences in all of Germany.
Although the controls were relaxed again after a few hours, at least for commuters in systemically relevant professions, the German neighbors are more than unhappy with the new regulation.
The Tyrolean governor Günther Platter from the ÖVP complained on social media that border closings are "not a suitable means of fighting pandemics".
He believes that it is wrong to only exclude commuters in systemically relevant professions.
More exemptions are needed, said Platter.
The Tyrolean People's Party is shooting particularly hard at the Bavarian Prime Minister.
On her Instagram account it says: “For weeks, Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder has not missed an opportunity to launch attacks against Tyrol.
These constant disparaging remarks are last class and not worthy of a prime minister.
That's not how you deal with neighbors. ”Interior Minister Karl Nehammer and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg also described the entry bans as“ unacceptable ”.
Border closings with Austria: politicians sharply criticize Söder's course
Söder, on the other hand, doesn't see the whole thing as closely as the politicians in neighboring countries.
The controls did not mean the end of free Europe, said Söder on a visit to the Czech border town of Schirnding on Sunday.
In order to prevent a traffic collapse, Austria and Germany have already taken preventive measures when checking trucks, for example from Italy.
It is still unclear whether traffic chaos can be completely prevented.
In Tyrol, ski operations continue to run normally - even for tourists - although the Austrian government itself issued a travel warning for the state.
Only a PCR test is now mandatory - due to the virus mutant.
Trouble about Corona border controls: Austria takes new federal government measure personally
+
Markus Söder (left) and Sebastian Kurz at an appearance in autumn - there is a threat of a new border dispute.
© Lukas Barth-Tuttas / www.imago-images.de
First report from February 14th:
Vienna / Berlin - border controls in the EU are already a political issue - and Austria apparently takes the federal government's latest corona measures particularly personally: The government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz * (ÖVP) has now apparently summoned the German ambassador .
In addition, there is reportedly a kind of crisis summit in Vienna in the evening.
Border dispute with Austria: Kurz's government laments "chicane" - and openly railed against Söder and Bavaria
The Austrian state of Tyrol has now been officially declared a "virus mutation area" by Germany.
This has had a noticeable impact on the border since Sunday.
Austria is now alarmed, as the
Tyrolean daily
reports online.
There was therefore talk of an “unacceptable chicane” in the neighboring country.
It is not the first time that the country has felt disadvantaged in the Corona crisis.
Interior Minister Karl Nehammer from Kurz's ÖVP spoke of a "provocation", according to the Kronenzeitung.
He also attacked Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) personally.
The security of supply in large parts of Europe is in danger - that is "probably deliberately negated by the Bavarian Prime Minister".
Tyrol is "not the parking lot in Europe" but the most important north-south connection axis.
Corona in Bavaria: border controls cause trouble in Tyrol - foreign minister calls ambassadors
The Foreign Ministry headed by Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) has also summoned the ambassadors of Germany and Italy - and, according to their own statements, also lodged a protest with Ministers Heiko Maas (SPD) and Luigi di Maio.
The presumed background: The border formalities at the border crossing between Kiefersfelden and Tyrol on the A99 are particularly important for the Alpine republic.
The "German Corner" is the fastest route between Tyrol and the city of Salzburg.
But this transit route has now been greatly slowed down for the time being - and for many travelers is probably completely blocked: only Germans and foreigners with a residence and residence permit in Germany are allowed to enter the affected areas.
There are exceptions for medical staff, truck drivers and seasonal agricultural workers - but truck drivers are also required to test.
Bavaria wants to decide on further exceptions for systemically important professional groups by Tuesday.
Seehofer and Söder in focus: permanent border dispute with neighboring Austria - solution unlikely despite escalation
The newspaper now claims to have heard of a crisis summit in Vienna.
In addition to Schallenberg, Austria's Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (also ÖVP) is supposed to take part.
Nehammer has already contacted Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer and his Bavarian counterpart Joachim Herrmann (both CSU) - without having reached a solution.
It is doubtful that it can be found quickly.
Seehofer and Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) have already resolutely defended the measures at the borders against criticism from the EU.
"We have to give our districts in the border region the opportunity to come to rest," said Spahn in an interview with the
Süddeutsche Zeitung that was
only published on Sunday evening
.
The measures are also being criticized by the German economy.
Austria should not be appeased by this.
The country expects severe traffic delays.
In the past, however, Germany had repeatedly run a storm against these - largely unsuccessfully.
Especially on the border between Upper Bavaria and Tyrol, block handling and the like are always a hot topic when entering Austria.
In the dispute about skiing holidays, the thesis that Germany and Austria saw the opportunity for a return coach * also circulated.
You can find
an overview of the
new rules for crossing the border in this article at
Merkur.de
*.
(
fn
) *
Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network
.
List of rubric lists: © Barbara Gindl / dpa
