Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), rapporteur and chairman of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), gives a statement on the situation in the Schengen area following the Covid-19 outbreak, in the European Parliament in Brussels, after the vote.

Brussels

statement

meeting

vote

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Schengen (T2)

LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Juan Fernando (S&D, ES)

Coronavirus outbreak (T)

Situation in the Schengen area following the Covid-19 outbreak: statement by Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES) rapporteur and Chairman of LIBE, and views during the vote

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/16783166/I191779Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (English), Juan Fernando L&#211;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), If there is one asset for which the European citizens do appraise the European experience is precisely because free movement, it is of the essence. Without Schengen first, there will be no recovery. That's the point I make. There will be no recovery, no possible recovery. I'm talking to you from the Canary Islands. Almost three months of confinement, energy level, heavily dependent on tourism. That means connectivity. That means air traffic on a daily basis, 15, 18 million visitors round the year. Now we are being blocked completely below zero. Tourism has fallen down to zero. So this is the ground zero situation for the Canary Islands and for so many regions across Europe. You know what? There is no recovery outside. There is no hope at sight, if there is no fully functional Schengen back again.

SOUNDBITE (English), Juan Fernando L&#211;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), If there is one asset for which the European citizens do appraise the European experience is precisely because free movement, it is of the essence. Without Schengen first, there will be no recovery. That's the point I make. There will be no recovery, no possible recovery. I'm talking to you from the Canary Islands. Almost three months of confinement, energy level, heavily dependent on tourism. That means connectivity. That means air traffic on a daily basis, 15, 18 million visitors round the year. Now we are being blocked completely below zero. Tourism has fallen down to zero. So this is the ground zero situation for the Canary Islands and for so many regions across Europe. You know what? There is no recovery outside. There is no hope at sight, if there is no fully functional Schengen back again.

SOUNDBITE (English), Juan Fernando L&#211;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), That is precisely the magic of the European Union, which is rule of law. The European Union law matters. The European law does matter, and it means that it's binding for the institutions, but also for the member states. And this is important to be reminded precisely because we are undergoing an unprecedented crisis, the so-called coronavirus pandemic. And, of course, the economic and social social consequences afterwards, which are all negative. We need to overcome, but law matters and law matters especially in times of crisis, especially in times of coronavirus, especially in times of pandemic. We need to reach out to the public and say, hey, listen, we care about the rights of the European citizens and the free movement is the most precious right for the European citizens.

Views in the meeting room ahead the remote vote, atmosphere, preparations. (9 shots) 