This was the year - with Britain out, terrorism waning and the migrant crisis at an ebb - that the European Union had hoped to repair and revive its cherished goal of open internal borders.
So far no country has taken that drastic step, but privately European officials warned that this could change quickly. While she urged far greater coordination among European Union members, she stopped well short of recommending that they start shutting their borders."Travel restrictions don't work: People find another way around it; it might only slow the virus down," said Dr Clare Wenham, of the London School of Economics Global Health Initiative.
The rules allow for the temporary reintroduction of border checks for specific reasons, including terrorist attacks, major migrant surges or health emergencies. The virus is yet another challenge, as it has given new ammunition to nationalists who want to see borders tightened or restored even before the contagion arrived.
The European Commission was trying to put together a plan to fix Europe's asylum system, including bolstering Frontex, the EU border agency, by adding staff and funding and stepping up its operations at the bloc's external borders.
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