France, Germany and Finland are the last countries to lift the ban on couples in Europe, bringing the total to ten. This is because the EU is asking all countries to do the same.

The European Commission claims to have raised the “directly affecting many people” factor in one of its usual meetings with border authorities. “To exclude unmarried couples of EU citizens and citizens from EU travel restrictions.”

It urges member states to use existing legislation to allow dual couples, separated by five-month bans, to meet. “In the existing legal situation, Member States can allow unmarried couples with duly documented relationships to register with the EU, if they wish,” he tweeted.

Thanks to the foreign crusade #LoveIsNotTourism, many are doing so. After Denmark in July, Norway, the Netherlands, Iceland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, Germany and Finland now allow lovers’ meetings.

In just one week since Switzerland brought exemptions for couples from 3 August, France, Germany and Finland have joined. This still leaves 20 of the EU and Schengen countries where there are restrictions, to open their borders out of love.

“Binational couples and families have been separated for nearly six months due to Covid-19 prohibitions,” the crusade #LoveIsNotTourism begs, “Help us reunite them!”

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson was instrumental in driving change. It needs all European governments to adopt “the broadest definition of partnership”.

After pressure from the #LoveIsEssential momentum of Bundestag politicians and German deputies, Germany joined the crowd on 10 August.

“I successfully entered Germany!” tweeted the American Kayla after flying to Europe to locate Maxim. “I can’t. Tears of HappinessArray…” I presented to the border guard a document indicating our appointments and an airfare to Germany and no additional questions were asked.”

But a German precondition for couples to have already met in Germany abroad is a source of frustration and anger. Activists are calling for a quick replacement of the rules.

“It’s stupid for three reasons,” says German MEP and activist #LoveIsEssential Moritz Koerner. “This surely has nothing to do with Corona. You can fall in love anywhere. And whoever adopts such regulations has not yet understood the globalized world.”

“The German Interior Ministry has still regained spirits,” he tweeted, “but there are still many problems, we are still solving them. Today, it’s clear: #LoveIsEssential.”

In France, reunions will soon be possible. Couples may request a pass to allow their spouse to enter, by submitting documents at local consulates proving the relationship, as well as an apartment in France (for one person) and a retroactive price ticket (for the other).

“This virus doesn’t like love. We love him,” Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Secretary of State for Tourism, told the Journal du Dimanche.

“At the external borders, established intimate non-public appointments are also perceived as an explanation of the reason for entry,” the Finnish government said after introducing new regulations for couples on 6 August.

At Europe’s internal borders, regulations are simpler and make a ‘close non-public relationship’ bigger. Arrangement.. “Border controls are mainly based on the traveller’s self-report in that relationship.”

A major impediment is that airlines and immigration officials recognize exceptions for couples made through the authorities.

“The Swiss government explicitly advises us to only take direct flights,” says Solange Collet, a member of #LoveIsNotTourism in Switzerland, “which unfortunately is an option for everyone. Right now, there are many options.

She says Spain has been a key transit country, but many other people have gone to airports to return them. Even halfway.

He said his colleague, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, a member of the European Parliament’s maritime transport committee, is stepping up pressure on airlines to comply with the new rules.

Airlines For Europe reacted, highlighting its weight in the campaign. The Brussels-based airline agreement says it accounts for 70% of air traffic on the mainland.

Another challenge is the lack of flights from some countries. Collet needs to locate his Colombian partner. Planes leaving the country right now are humanitarian flights, “technically for Europeans or spouses,” he says.

In addition, Colombia continues to withstand the completion of the state of emergency (currently 31 August). We are in a desperate situation, as are the Peruvians and South Americans.

“The Swiss embassy advises others to take scheduled flights, which are expected to resume in September. Then we’ll give you our documents, so I hope you’re aboard one of them.

I have 3 decades of experience as a journalist, foreign correspondent and writer-photographer. Working for print, virtual and radio media on 4 continents,

I have 3 decades of experience as a journalist, foreign correspondent and travel writer-photographer. Working for print, virtual and radio media on 4 continents, I am also an experienced hotel journalist and writer of travel guides and cultural histories in Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Borneo. Deep on the road between my Parisian and Australian bases, I write for Forbes with a globetrotting attitude and a topicality in travel, culture, hospitality, art and architecture. My hobby is to capture the unique people, situations and occasions I encounter along the way, whether in words and images. I have a bachelor’s degree in professional writing from the University of Canberra, a master’s degree in European journalism from Robert Schuman University in Strasbourg and a member of the Society of Travel Writers of the United States. Love for my wild local island of Tasmania fuels my commitment to sustainable travel and conservation.