President of the European Commission
Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen
20
th
of March 2020
Tallinn, Estonia
Let me start by thanking you for your efforts and commitment in stressing the EU values
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With regard to the situation developing in all our countries and across the European Union
due to the spread of COVID-19, the EU Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Estonia
welcomes and supports the ongoing work towards finding common EU level solutions. The
endorsement of the guidelines proposed by the European Commission on border management
by the European Council on 17 March sends a strong signal and reaffirms the need and wish
of the Member States to work together.
However, the current practices to address the crisis still vary from Member State to Member
State. This has created a situation where EU citizens are stuck on internal EU borders. The
medical as well as many other sectors of our highly integrated economies are strained to their
limits. We recognise the right of the Member States to take appropriate measures in order to
protect the public health of their citizens. Though, we also recall that this has to be done in
line with the Free Movement Directive, including by facilitating transit of EU citizens and
residents who are returning home.
The EU Affairs Committee therefore underlines the need for a common response in the EU
that should include:
- Establishing transit routes to facilitate the transit of all EU citizens and permanent residents
through Member States to return home;
- Minimizing the negative impact on the EU's Single Market by ensuring the free movement
and transit of goods, including free movement of food commodities;
- Jointly addressing the shortage of medical equipment and supplies in order to assure all
countries have sufficient means to deal with the pandemic.
We have no doubt that you will take into consideration aforementioned matters.
Yours sincerely,
Ms. Anneli Ott
Chairwoman
European Union Affairs Committee
Parliament of Estonia