The government of the GDR discussed a new law about travels to West Germany and other countries. In the evening of 9 November 1989, there was a press conference with the press secretary of the Central Committee of the SED, Günter Schabowski. Just before that press conference, Egon Krenz had given Schabowski a sheet of paper about the new travel law. Before the press conference ended, a journalist from Italy asked Schabowski a question about freedom of travel. Schabowski read out his sheet of paper, which said that everyone should be allowed to leave the country and come back whenever he or she wanted. When he was asked when this rule should come into force, Schabowski answered "at once" and "immediately".