EU eyes revamp of ID check-free zone to improve travel flow

The European Union wants to revamp Europe’s ID check-free travel area after coronavirus restrictions placed new strains on tourism, travel and business throughout the bloc

BRUSSELS -- The European Union unveiled plans Wednesday to revamp Europe’s ID check-free travel area after national coronavirus restrictions placed new strains on tourism, travel and business throughout the bloc over the last year. The travel zone, known as the “Schengen area,” is made up of 26 countries: 22 EU nations plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Normally, people and goods move freely between these countries without border checks. Panicked by Italy’s coronavirus outbreak in February last year, some Schengen countries imposed border restrictions without consulting their neighbors to try to keep the disease out. The moves caused massive traffic jams and blocked key medical equipment from getting across borders. Nineteen countries put border restrictions in place. Free movement is a pillar of European integration. It helps businesses flourish and many officials worry that the future of the Schengen area is under threat from virus travel restrictions. Those measures have added to border pressures already caused by the arrival in Europe of well over 1 million migrants in 2015.