EU50: How travel has been made easier
News
31 January 2022The EU membership has made huge differences to citizens of Ireland and other EU countries. One of the areas, that has been changes significantly due to open doors in the EU is of course travel.
Here are some points to how Travelling has been made easier by being part of the EU:
- Irish citizens can travel to any EU Member State without the need for visas. They also have the right to live, work or study in any EU country.
- There’s no need to worry about exchange rates and changing money when visiting countries using the Euro.
- Travelling across the world has become much more affordable and safer thanks to deregulation of the airline industry across EU Member States and Single European Sky legislation that has curtailed uncompetitive practices and increased safety standards.
- EU regulations mean airline passengers can be compensated by up to €600 for delayed, cancelled or overbooked flights. If your luggage is lost or damaged, you have a right to reimbursement of up to €1,220.
- EU rules have also strengthened passenger rights for those travelling by train, ship or long-distance bus and coach.
- As an EU national, you can freely travel with your cat, dog or ferret if it has a European Pet Passport.
- Consumers have strong protection when purchasing package holidays, timeshares or holiday club schemes, even when buying online.
- The European Aviation Safety Agency has made flying safer, and greater co-operation between Member States on air traffic management means it’s more efficient too.
- Mobile phone roaming charges have been abolished across the EU and providers now must issue a ‘Roam Like at Home’ (RLAH) contract by default to customers.
- The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) provides basic healthcare access to all Irish citizens while travelling in the EU and to EEA countries or Switzerland.
See the video below to hear about what Feargal, Susan, Emer and Rebecca enjoy most about their new home country after moving from Ireland to Denmark or Denmark to Ireland.