German Chancellor Angela Merkel would prefer to see the ski slopes in the Alpine countries closed due to the coronavirus.
However, she expects that it will be difficult to reach agreements on this, especially with neighbouring Austria.
“The ski season is coming. We will try to coordinate European whether the ski areas remain closed,” Merkel said in the German parliament on Thursday, where the corona measures were debated.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte have already announced that they want to keep the slopes closed.
Austria wants to open the ski areas under strict corona conditions. The country says it misses out on 800 million euros in income per week if there are no winter sports and then demands compensation from the European Union.
The lockdown in Austria ends on December 7, but it is not clear whether the ski resorts can start running.
Switzerland also wants to open the ski slopes. The authorities there call the “Swiss road” the correct one and see no reason for the closure. German tourists are the largest group of guests in both Austria and Switzerland.