#COVID-19 - Collective EU efforts seek to ensure restoration of transport services and connectivity

The COVID-19 outbreak is having a major impact on transport and connectivity in the EU. Measures to contain the outbreak have resulted in a dramatic reduction in transport activity, especially in passenger transport1. Freight flows have been less affected, in part thanks to collective EU efforts to ensure that freight continues to move, although there has been a reduction due to declining economic activity and disruption of supply chains.

The Commission has issued guidance on restrictions on non-essential travel and put forward measures specifically for transport, including guidelines for border management measures, on the implementation of Green Lanes for freight transport, on facilitating air cargo operations and on seafarers, passengers and other persons on board ships. The Commission has offered guidance on how best to protect transport workers and passengers, while keeping freight moving.

As long as restrictions on the movement of persons remain in place and freight flows also remain liable to be affected, these measures and recommendations on the flow of goods, free movement of workers exercising critical occupations, transit and repatriations of passengers and crews should continue to be applied consistently and in a co-ordinated way by all member states.

Member states should continue using the network of national transport contact points for the COVID-19 response co-ordinated by the Commission.

As the public health situation begins to improve, it will be important that transport services and connectivity are progressively restored within the limits that the epidemiological conditions allow, since they are key enablers of the EU and the global economy, and fundamental parts of the daily lives of EU citizens.

On 15 April 2020, the European Commission, in co-operation with the president of the European Council, put forward a Joint European Roadmap setting out recommendations on lifting COVID-19 containment measures. The Joint European Road Map announced that the Commission would also "put forward more detailed guidance on how to progressively restore transport services, connectivity and free movement as swiftly as the health situation allows it, also in view of planning summer holiday travel".

The health of citizens, including transport workers and passengers, remains the key priority. Particular consideration should be given to vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, in full respect of their privacy. The easing of travel and operational restrictions should therefore be gradual to protect health and ensure that transport systems and services, and other related systems (e.g. border controls at external borders), can re-adjust to higher freight and passenger volumes. This should be accompanied by constantly updated communication campaigns to ensure that people travelling can plan and act on the basis of full awareness of the situation, and therefore also of their individual responsibility in following health recommendations when travelling.

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