People living outside of the EU do not have the same benefits. Relatively few exceptions are made for travel, leaving unmarried couples that do not live in the same household separated for months.
Currently married couples can see each other in all of Europe, but often borders remain closed those who are unmarried or not in a civil partnership. These separations have lasted over six months, and in some cases have affected children who have not seen their parent since the initial lockdown.
Earlier in August the European Commission called upon member states to enable the reunion of those couples.
Marc Angel, the Luxembourgish Member of the European Parliament, states he is also awaiting a response from Luxembourg. Since it is already fairly easy to request a residence together with a non-EU partner, he believes that the government will react quickly.
So far non-EU individuals can travel to Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Norway, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Finland to see their partner. Specific conditions have been laid out, as proof of existence of the relationship needs to be provided, such as plane tickets of joint trips and pictures.
The LSAP politician further sympathised with the affected couples and believes to understand their frustrations towards the EU. There was a united response on closing the EU’s borders, but this specific subject is being treated on an individual level.
You can read more about the campaign here.
