The European Union must go “back to the future” of open borders once the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control, a senior EU official has said, according to Reuters.

The remarks signalled a coming push by the executive European Commission to have EU countries restore the cherished Schengen zone of control-free travel that has collapsed in a welter of unilateral moves to rein in transmission of the virus.

“We now need to get back to the future, back to normality. And we need to do so as soon as the health situation allows it,” Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, whose brief includes migration, told a virtual exchange with European lawmakers.

European Home Affairs Commissioner-designate Ylva Johansson of Sweden. — Reuters/File
European Home Affairs Commissioner-designate Ylva Johansson of Sweden. — Reuters/File

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