The Impact of Covid-19 on the Free Movement Regime in the North

Abstract

In this article, we analyse the measures during the Covid-19 pandemic with which the Nordic countries Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland have placed restrictions based on the Free Movement Directive 2004/38/ec and reintroduced internal border controls stipulated in the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation 2016/399). Although currently regulated by these EU rules, Nordic free movement dates back to the common Nordic labour market and Nordic passport union established in the 1950s. Already in the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, all Nordic countries except Sweden decided to reintroduce stricter internal border controls and restrict the entry of EU citizens into their countries. The article analyses these restrictions and illustrates that the countries interpret EU rules differently, lack a common Nordic approach to EU law in the field of free movement, and compromise even the rule of law.

Communicating and complying with COVID-19 actions in northernmost Finland

“…It was acknowledged that communication actions could have been even better, which should have contributed to traditional culture. Moreover, residents of these municipalities were impacted by changing border restrictions that required constant awareness, as found in this study and by Heinikoski and Hyttinen [ 7 ]. People living in national border communities had a special right to cross the borders, until this exemption was removed in January 2021 [ 25 ].…”

“…essential work. During the pandemic, situations varied, and countries prepared individual guidelines for borders [ 7 ].…”

COVID-19 impacts in Northernmost Finland

“…This caused memories of World War II and residential schools to resurface. According to Heinikoski and Hyttinen [ 13 ], closed borders have been a great challenge to Sámi people; they have lived throughout history in one Sámi Land, without national borders. This in particular may have had a critical effect on their traditional lifeways, e.g.…”

“…At the beginning of the pandemic, Finland set travel bans, which included bans on international flights from high-risk areas [ 4 ] and crossing the national borders between Nordic countries [ 13 ]. As Northernmost Finland is the area for residents, including Sámi Indigenous Peoples, who are used to free movement between Nordic countries, this decision separated families and changed the everyday life of people living in these border municipalities [ 13 ]. Tourism, reindeer herding, and fishing are the central livelihoods in the municipalities of Inari and Utsjoki, which have borders to Norway and Russia [ 14 , 15 ].…”

The influence of cross-border mobility on the COVID-19 epidemic in Nordic countries

“…Second, there were major differences between the internal restrictions and the overall strategies carried out in each country, which led to large differences in the scale and timeline of the pandemic. While movement restrictions within these countries during the epidemic have been analysed, the analyses seem mostly to focus on legal or social aspects (see, e.g., [10,11]). There are also analyses of the different intervention strategies and their effects in these countries, but without explicit analysis of the interactions between the countries [12].…”