Paper short abstract:

The paper presents ongoing research on the impact of changing border restrictions due to the Covid 19-pandemic on commuters and posted workers between Slovenia and Austria. It discusses the changes in people's everyday lives by focusing on the social, health and economic risks.

Paper long abstract:

The north-eastern regions of Slovenia have been economically, socially and culturally linked to the neighbouring Austria. In 2007, after Slovenia joined the Schengen area, the state border separating the regions has been completely abolished. The border dissolution influenced people's everyday practises, making everyday life more flexible and noticeably more transnational.

With the pandemic and the associated crisis strategies and policies of the governments of both countries, which were implemented in spring 2020, the border became again a physical obstacle that separates people and places and has severe consequences for people's everyday lives. Many cross-border commuters and posted workers from Slovenia have been put in a difficult situation due to restrictions, such as border controls, long waiting times, and different rules regarding safety measures, Covid-19 testing and quarantine applied in Slovenia and Austria. Many Slovenian residents employed in Austria also lost their jobs and needed social protection on their return. Their daily lives were reorganised by and because of the re-bordering.

The paper presents ongoing research on the effects of the changing border restrictions for commuters between Slovenia and Austria. It builds on the analysis of government policies and measures put in place to mitigate the negative effects associated with mobility restrictions, and on semi-structured interviews conducted with commuters, posted workers and return migrants. Building on the collected empirical data, the changes in people's everyday lives will be discussed, focusing on the social, health and economic risks faced by Slovenian residents who work in Austria as commuters and posted workers.