The European Union was built on free movement of people and goods. Coronavirus has suspended that model, upending commerce and communities.
By Laurence Norman in Brussels and Drew Hinshaw in Warsaw March 27, 2020 5:30 am ET It took Europe a half-century to integrate its economies. It took the new coronavirus only weeks to roll that back as countries closed their borders.
The bloc’s unique structure as one unified market comprising 27 sovereign states—for years a strength—now makes it more vulnerable, business and political leaders say. As of Thursday, 12 EU countries had closed their borders to nonresidents, and most of the rest had imposed targeted restrictions. Truckers and private citizens trying to drive home must navigate byzantine rules and conflicting edicts. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had to send a ferry across the Baltic Sea to Germany to rescue citizens stranded behind closed borders.
Regular discussions have begun and some countries are coordinating measures. Brussels is urging more cooperation.
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