Anyone who witnessed the temporary reintroduction of border controls during the coronavirus pandemic knows what we might face without common rules on travel and borders. There would be long queues at borders and deliveries of goods would be delayed. Our economy would be brought to a standstill and some supermarket shelves would be empty. Last but not least, it would be harder for the people of the EU to meet and get to know one another if travelling to another country meant long waits at border crossings.

Whether you’re a tourist, a truck driver or a commuter, as EU citizens we can all cross shared internal borders between EU member states without having our documents checked. So we all benefit from common rules on travel and border crossings in the EU.

Thankfully, there are very strict criteria for the reintroduction of internal border controls such as those we saw during the pandemic. For example, restrictions can only be imposed in exceptional circumstances and for a limited period of time. These criteria are all contained in the Schengen Borders Code, which applies to the whole EU area.

Germany is a trading nation. Over half our exports are to the EU and almost one in every four jobs in Germany depends on exports. At the same time, Germany is in high demand as a trading partner within the EU. In 2021 , Germany was the main destination for exports from 16 of the 27 members of the EU.

Without the common market, our businesses would lose easy access to a market of nearly 450 million people. Instead, they would have to observe different rules for every member state – that’s 27 different sets of regulations. A colossal amount of time and effort, and a prospect to send a chill down the spine of a trading nation like Germany. Without the four fundamental freedoms of the common market – the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital – we would have to pay customs duties and apply for visas. Prices would rise, and so would unemployment.

Germany has a strong economy, but could it negotiate free trade agreements with economic powerhouses such as the US and China? Our negotiating position would be much weaker outside the union of all EU member states. With 450 million consumers, the EU common market is one of the largest single economic areas in the world. That makes it a trading partner which cannot be ignored by other global economic superpowers.

It also gives us the clout to promote a values-based trade policy, one in which economic growth goes hand-in-hand with social justice, human rights standards and the rule of law. We can insist on standards to protect employment rights, the environment and people’s health. Working in partnership with other EU states, we can help shape the global economy. Working alone, this would be very difficult.

Every day 350 million people around the world use the euro, making it the second-most widely used currency in the world. We can pay with euros as the official currency in 20 of the 27 EU member states, so when travelling around Europe we don't need to worry about high exchange rates and confusing pricing.

Each country having its own currency would also be very painful for the German economy. With their strong focus on exports, German businesses would have to cope with fluctuating exchange rates and substantial transaction costs every year. For consumers, this would mean higher prices.

The introduction of the euro cleared away trade barriers within the EU and strengthened the common market. For example, in 2021 just under 40 percent of German exports went to Eurozone countries. And in turn, this creates jobs in Germany. Without a shared currency, this would not be the case.

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Cross-border collaboration between security agencies protects each and every one of us in Germany, especially as organised crime has operated internationally for decades. Sharing DNA data, fingerprints and vehicle registration information boosts the efficiency of EU-wide law enforcement. Europol coordinates the work of police forces in EU member states: the fight against serious crime and terrorism is much more effective on a European level.

Since 2021 the European Public Prosecutors Office has investigated crimes which put our financial interests at risk, such as fraud, corruption and money laundering. The EU is also arming itself to fight cyber attacks, since effective protection against online threats is a more complex task than simply safeguarding infrastructure and wealth. No one country could achieve all of this on its own.

Environmental problems don’t stop at national borders. EU environmental rules protect the health and quality of life of people across Europe. For example, it’s almost impossible now to imagine having filthy rivers or phosphates in our drinking water, but successes like these would be much harder to achieve without shared rules. In our cities there has been an obvious reduction in unpleasant and harmful exhaust fumes from vehicles. In order to keep the air clean, the EU set maximum limits for substances such as sulphur dioxide and lead in 2005.
The issue of tyre abrasion still needs to be addressed to deal with particulates which harm air quality. On the other hand, improved recycling rates are easing the burden on the environment, as millions of tonnes less plastic and metal waste are being created every year.

The EU is also joining forces to protect the environment. Its members set common climate goals and promote high standards for climate protection in European industry, such as limits on carbon emissions for vehicles. The EU is also supporting climate-friendly projects such as the expansion of the hydrogen industry. The Net Zero Industry Act is a key element in this. It aims to accelerate transformative technologies in the EU such as solar and wind power, battery manufacturing and heat pumps.

European consumers would lose their EU-wide legal right to guarantees and returns. This law protects consumers by requiring that defective goods must be repaired or replaced, reduced in price or refunded. Without common rules on consumer protection, there would be no free warranty of at least two years, or even a 14-day right to a refund, regardless of whether you shop online or instore. 

There would also be no standard energy efficiency labelling for the EU which makes it easy to understand the efficiency of electronic devices. Customers would face complicated decisions when comparing value and greenhouse gas emissions for their purchases.

There would also be no EU Ecodesign Directive. This set of rules promotes sustainability in products, starting right from the point when they are designed and is expected to save energy equivalent to 230 million tonnes of crude oil across the EU by 2030. 

We would also lose out on many benefits when travelling. Without EU consumer protection, you could not be sure of a refund if your train or flight was cancelled in another EU country.  You wouldn’t even be guaranteed compensation in the case of significant delays. Nor would national driving licenses be automatically recognised anywhere in Europe. 

When it comes to hassle-free holidays in Europe, it’s great that we have the European Health Insurance Card. If you’re travelling within the EU, the card gives you access to urgent healthcare at the same price and conditions as for insurance-holders in the country where you fall ill. If you have public health insurance in Germany, you do not even need to apply for a European Health Insurance Card, as it is automatically printed on the reverse of your insurance card. 

In general, healthcare normally works well at a national level. However, the pandemic showed that in some situations it is important for countries to work across national borders, such as when working together to purchase vaccines on the international market. Cross-border partnerships also help make travel within the EU easier by means of common digital vaccine certificates.

What about the future? There are plans to create a “European Health Data Space”. Given the pace at which digital technologies are expanding, this is a vital step. Common European rules are intended to give people in Europe control over their health data and improve healthcare across all of the EU.