At the beginning of May, the European Commission invited the Schengen states to extend the restriction on travel to the European Union when it is not essential, until 15 June. This also includes Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania and the countries associated with the Schengen area, i.e. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. As a reminder, the member states had first decided on 17 March to close Europe's external borders to foreign travellers for a period of 30 days because of the VIDOC-19 crisis. EU officials believe that before considering a reopening of the external borders to non-European residents for non-essential reasons, the first step should be the gradual lifting of internal border controls. More information on the CWT Safety and Security website