By using this site, you agree to these revised documents including the use of cookies to enhance your experience. Croatia became an EU member in 2013 but to join the Schengen area it had to convince Brussels that it was able to effectively manage the bloc’s external border, a particularly sensitive issue since Europe’s 2015 migrant crisis. Croatia should do more to prevent illegal migration if it wants to join the Schengen Area, warned Slovenian Caretaker Prime Minister Miro Cerar on Tuesday, and added that Croatia … “It’s an area that comes with freedoms and privileges but also with great responsibilities, joining this club is not something that we take lightly…”, said Greek Commissioner Dimitri Avramopoulos about the European Commissions’ recent approval. The European Commission considers that, based on the results of the Schengen evaluation process initiated in 2016, Croatia has taken the measures needed to ensure that the necessary conditions for the full application of the Schengen rules and standards are met. Slovenia, who joined the EU in 2004, was also less than pleased with the EU Commission’s approval and called Juncker’s endorsement just before the end of his term a “political decision”. Croatia still needs to attain approval from all member states to join either of these measures. “I believe Croatia is ready to join the ERM-2”, Juncker said. Croatia is a parliamentary republic in which the head of government - the prime minister - and the head of state - the president - represent the executive power and the state at home and abroad. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. in International Conflict from the London School of Economics and Political Science. A report from the Bertelsmann Foundation estimated that the reintroduction of permanent border controls would lead to a growth loss of 470 billion euros in total for the EU until 2025. Croatia should do more to prevent illegal migration if it wants to join the Schengen Area, warned Slovenian Caretaker Prime Minister Miro Cerar on Tuesday, and added that Croatia … This necessary waiting period is implemented to ensure the country in question has a suitably stable currency and economy, and is assessed by the European Central Bank. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. We recently published a revised version of our Privacy Statement and Terms and Conditions. Croatia joined the EU on 1 July 2013, is also legally bound to eventually join the Schengen Area, implementation has been delayed. “We must profoundly rethink our development policy and our migration policy, even if it is a Schengen with fewer states.”. These changes are sure to provide a major boost to the Croatian tourism sector, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of its economic output. The European Commission considers that, based on the results of the Schengen evaluation process initiated in 2016, Croatia has taken the measures needed to ensure that the necessary conditions for the full application of the Schengen rules and standards are met. This is why I trust that Member States will take the right steps for Croatia to become a full Schengen member soon.”, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “Schengen is one of the greatest and most tangible achievements of European integration. The Parliament holds legislative power and also controls the executive. The forthcoming accession of Croatia to the Schengen Area, up to now consisting of 26 European states (without Croatia), should allow EU citizens to cross the border without showing a passport or passing any border controls. Croatia Ready to Join the Schengen Area October 25, 2019by Mei Manuel Croatia is now ready to join the Schengen area according to the European Commission. The Schengen Area consists of 26 states, including four which are not members of the European Union (EU). 2. Might as Well Try It, European Recovery Package Rewrites the Rules, Portugal: Tourism, Golden Visas, and Coronavirus, France Becomes the First Country to Ban Production of Fossil Fuels, Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Willing and Able Partners in the Regeneration of Greece, Maltese Economy Primed for Strong Recovery. The Commission confirmed that Croatia continues to fulfil the commitments, linked to the Schengen rules, that it undertook in the accession negotiations. Sharing the achievement of Schengen must be our common objective. The area is named after the original 1985 Schengen Agreement signed in Schengen, Luxembourg, and is made up of 26 European countries that have officially abolished passport and other border controls. We kindly ask you to take a few minutes to read and understand them. In order to do so, Croatia first needed to convince Brussels that it was able to effectively manage the bloc’s external border – a particularly sensitive issue since the start of the migrant crisis. EU giving Croatia credit for the protection of the Schengen external borders. While Croatia, which joined the EU on 1 July 2013, is also legally bound to eventually join the Schengen Area, implementation has been delayed. Your email address will not be published. The European Commission considers that, based on the results of the Schengen evaluation process initiated in 2016, Croatia has taken the measures needed to ensure that the necessary conditions for the full application of the Schengen rules […] The Commission is today reporting on Croatia's progress in meeting the necessary conditions to join the Schengen area. Schengen “does not work anymore”, Macron stated. “Saving Schengen is a race against time and we are determined to win that race”, Donald Tusk said back in 2016. She has worked as an analyst, reporter, and editor, covering extremism, culture, economics, and democracy. The Commission reported Croatia’s progress in meeting the necessary conditions to join the Schengen area. The Commission is today reporting on Croatia's progress in meeting the necessary conditions to join the Schengen area. There is also the issue of Bulgaria and Romania, which have both been awaiting the Council's decision to join Schengen for five years now. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System is a new visa waiver programme for Europe to be launched in 2022. The government structure is based on separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers. “The future Schengen accession of Croatia, but also Bulgaria and Romania is all the more relevant and necessary given the migratory and security challenges of today”, continued Avramopoulos. President Jean-Claude Juncker said: “I commend Croatia for its efforts and perseverance to meet all the necessary conditions to join Schengen. Schengen accession: Croatia on the way to join the Schengen Area Wednesday, 23 October, 2019 The Commission is today reporting on Croatia's progress in meeting … The Croatian Governmentwill hope that the process of joining the Schengen will be quicker than the length of time it took them to join the EU. In response to both the migration crisis and the wave of terrorist attacks that occurred in 2015 and 2016, several EU member states implemented internal border checks and security controls. Joining Schengen is no easy feat. Croatia hopeful it will join the Schengen Area by 2020. The Commission is today reporting on Croatia's progress in meeting the necessary conditions to join the Schengen area. The European Commission has given its formal approval for Croatia to join the EU Schengen area. President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker announced “I would like the European Commission to give a recommendation before the end of our term in office for Croatia’s Schengen zone accession”, after successful talks with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. The Republic of Croatia hopes to join the border-free Schengen Area by 2020, due to expectations to meet the technical criteria by the end of this year. Yet, Schengen is not the problem, it is the solution. The Balkan’s approval is a sore point for these two states, however, as Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU six years earlier than Croatia but are still waiting to be allowed into the area. Switzerlandwas allowed to participate in the same manner in 2008. ETIAS is not a visa, it as an electronic travel authorisation for travellers from visa-exempt third countries crossing an external Schengen border. It is only through being united and standing together that we can ensure a stronger Schengen area. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: “I commend Croatia for its efforts and perseverance to meet all the necessary conditions to join Schengen. In his 2017 State of the Union Address, President Juncker expressed his unequivocal support for Croatia becoming a full Schengen member once all the necessary conditions were met. Prime Minister of Slovenia, Marjan Sarec, has said that Croatia should first implement the arbitration ruling concerning its border dispute with Slovenia before entering Schengen, which concerns jurisdiction over part of the border by the Adriatic Sea. The European Commission considers that Croatia has taken the measures needed to ensure that the necessary conditions for the full application of the Schengen rules and standards are met. She has a M.Sc. STRASBOURG, 22 October 2019 – The European Commission said today that Croatia has met the conditions for joining the Schengen Area and asked the Council of the EU to include Croatia … Despite the European Commission’s recommendation, France blocked membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania this past October, and may do the same to Croatia’s bid to join Schengen and the eurozone. If that happens soon, Croatia could be a part of Schengen by early 2020 and join the ERM-2 next year as well. In March 2015, Croatia's then Interior Minister Ranko Ostojić said that his country was ready to join the Schengen Area. According to the Croatian online newspaper vecernji.hr , diplomatic sources have confirmed that the EU Commission will most likely issue an official statement in the second half of September, giving the green light to Croatia to join the Schengen area . (Bloomberg) -- Six years after Croatia joined the European Union, the Balkan nation is getting a green light from the European Commission to join the bloc’s passport-free Schengen area.Croatia has continued to fulfill all of Schengen criteria, the Commission said in a statement in Brussels on Tuesday. Croatia joined the EU on 1 July 2013, is also legally bound to eventually join the Schengen Area, implementation has been delayed. Membership of the Schengen area is one of Croatia's foreign policy priorities. Six years after Croatia joined the European Union, the Balkan nation is getting a green light from the European Commission to join the bloc’s passport-free Schengen area. However, border and immigration issues were a complication and slowed the process. The Commission is today reporting on Croatia’s progress in meeting the necessary conditions to join the Schengen area. As Slobodna Dalmacija/Jutarnji list/Kresimir Zabec writes on the 29th of September, 2019, the Republic of Croatia will not be part of the Schengen area for at least another two years, despite the fact the European Commission is likely to confirm that the country has fulfilled the Schengen technical requirements next week, Jutarnji list learned from diplomatic sources. This addition would be the first expansion of the free-travel zone since Switzerland was admitted more than ten years ago in 2008. Discover every day all the information live on southEUsummit.com, the premium print and digital publication for the South EU Summit. The Commission confirmed that Croatia continues to fulfil the commitments, linked to the Schengen rules, that it undertook in the accession negotiations. But its strength very much depends on its inclusiveness – now that Croatia has taken the measures to ensure that the necessary conditions are met, we must recognise this. “We regret the decision of some countries which didn’t support launching the accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania because we strongly pushed for launching the negotiation process”, Radman said, speaking against France’s anti-enlargement position. Liechtenstein joined the Schengen Area on 19 December 2011. “We have shown very clearly that we are up to the job, we have one of the strongest border police forces in Europe. Croatia applied for EU membership in 2003and the decision was granted in the following year by the European Council. The Schengen Agreement was created in 1985 and is named after the … The European Council would still need to sign off on Croatia’s accession. STRASBOURG, 22 October 2019 – The European Commission said today that Croatia has met the conditions for joining the Schengen Area and asked the Council of the EU to include Croatia in the area without internal border controls, the European Commission said in a press release. The Commission also today confirms that Croatia continues to fulfil the commitments, linked to the Schengen rules, that it undertook in the accession negotiations. If this decision is supported by fellow EU members, the country will become the newest member of the passport-free travel zone in the near future.. Juncker Commends Croatia, Deems Them Ready for Schengen. Hungary provides a stark example, with its Prime Minister Viktor Orban garnering political capital by touting his new razor-wire border fence with Serbia. The Balkan region remains a popular route for migrants into Europe. Prime Minister Plenković has set his government a target for Croatia to join the area by 2020, when the country assumes the rotating six-month presidency of the EU. De facto, the Schengen Area also includes three European micro-states – Monaco, San Marino and the … This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. Croatia will need to continue working on the implementation of all ongoing actions, in particular its management of the external borders, to ensure that these conditions continue to be met. Design and Development: AlbertoDavila.es. notes Marco Stefan, a research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS). Ressler therefore believes that "a potential delay in Croatia's accession would not be good for anyone because the situation with reforms will be long-lasting." If Croatia does eventually join the Schengen Area, it will benefit from ETIAS. Despite the European Commission’s recommendation, France blocked membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania this past October, and may do the same to Croatia’s bid to join Schengen and the eurozone. Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, is a strong supporter of the EU and is taking Croatia into deeper integration in all levels. FILE - A Croatian border crossing is seen at Bregana, Croatia, July 1, 2013. The European Commission considers that, based on the results of the Schengen evaluation process initiated in 2016, Croatia has taken the measures needed to ensure that the necessary conditions for the full application of the Schengen rules […] Alternatively, there is evidence that Croatia has been overzealously policing their borders and deporting migrants back to Bosnia against EU conventions. Paris understands Croatia’s wish to be admitted to the Schengen area, France’s Foreign and Europe Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said during his visit to Zagreb. October 17, 2018. Croatian tourists would attain greater access to the rest of Europe, increasing opportunities for success to their tourist sectors. The European Commission has announced that Croatia is finally eligible to join the Schengen zone, the EU’s passport-free travel area.. Six years after the Balkan nation joined the European Union and after being examined by the Commission for the past 4 years, it has been determined that Croatia has taken the necessary measures to ensure the security of the EU’s external border. Croatia is not currently one of the 22 EU Member States of the Schengen Area.