A European Commission evaluation has reported that Croatia has taken the necessary measures to qualify for accession to the Schengen area.
The Commission’s Croatia Schengen evaluation, which was first initiated in 2016, has confirmed that Croatia has made significant progress on meeting the conditions for joining the Schengen area; in particular in terms of its external border management protocols. Previous evaluations conducted between June 2016 and May 2019 had already established that the country met the requisite criteria for accession in a number of other fields, including data protection policy; police and judicial co-operation; the Schengen Information System; and a common visa policy.
Outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: “I commend Croatia for its efforts and perseverance to meet all the necessary conditions to join Schengen. It is only through being united and standing together that we can ensure a stronger Schengen area. Sharing the achievement of Schengen must be our common objective. This is why I trust that Member States will take the right steps for Croatia to become a full Schengen member soon.”
The Schengen area is the world’s largest free travel area, comprising 22 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland; Croatia declared its readiness to join the Schengen area in 2015. The Commission has invited the European Council to discuss the results of its Croatia Schengen evaluation, with a view to beginning the next stage of accession.
Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “Schengen is one of the greatest and most tangible achievements of European integration. 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. Once it becomes a full Schengen member, it will contribute to further strengthening the Schengen area and ensure that the EU’s external borders are better protected.”
