Macron condemns ‘unilateral’ border control measures, discusses issue with Merkel – Elysee

16 Mar, 2020 11:50 / Updated 5 years ago

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday condemned unilateral border control measures taken by some EU countries in a bid to control the coronavirus outbreak. The statement from the Elysee Palace came following a phone briefing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU officials.

However, the Elysee warned that measures at the EU’s external borders could be announced “in the coming hours,” Reuters said.

The discussion between Macron and Merkel came after Germany decided to temporarily introduce border controls on the borders with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, and Denmark starting Monday in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Macron will make a televised address to the nation at 1900 GMT on Monday, as speculation mounts that France may consider new measures to deal with the outbreak.