Croatia on the way to join the Schengen Area

The Commission reported Croatia’s progress in meeting the necessary conditions to join the Schengen area. 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.

Based on the results of the Schengen evaluation process, 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.

The Commission also today confirms that Croatia continues to fulfil the commitments, linked to the Schengen rules, that it undertook in the accession negotiations.

I commend Croatia for its efforts and perseverance to meet all the necessary conditions to join Schengen.
President Jean-Claude Juncker

He also said: “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.”

Schengen is one of the greatest and most tangible achievements of European integration.
Dimitris Avramopoulos

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos also said: “… But Schengen 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.”

In 2017, President Juncker expressed his unequivocal support for Croatia becoming a full Schengen member. The Commission now is reporting on the positive result of a long process of evaluation and cooperation. European Commission has seen Croatia steadily improve to meet those conditions.

Assessment of all Schengen criteria

The evaluations conducted between June 2016 and May 2019, which examined Croatia in a number of areas. European Commission had already successfully evaluated and confirmed the full implementation of the Schengen rules in the areas of data protection, police cooperation, common visa policy, return, the Schengen Information System (SIS), firearms and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. EU Commission also confirms that Croatia has taken the necessary measures to ensure that the conditions for the application of Schengen rules in the field of external border management are met. Croatia will need to continue working to ensure the consistent implementation of all ongoing actions in this field.

Finally, the Commission is also reporting on the fulfilment of commitments undertaken by Croatia in its accession negotiations that are relevant for the Schengen rules. The commitments in particular concern the area of the judiciary and respect of fundamental rights. The Commission today confirms that Croatia continues to fulfil all of them.

The Commission invites the Council to discuss this communication with the aim of integrating Croatia into the Schengen area in line with the 2011 Act of Accession.

The Schengen area

The Schengen area is the largest free-travel area in the world, currently including 22 EU countries.

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, as well as 4 associated non-EU countries: Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

It allows citizens to move freely between those countries without having to go through border checks, making it easier to travel, work and live across borders.

Countries wishing to join the Schengen area must undergo a series of Schengen evaluations to confirm whether they fulfil the conditions necessary for the application of the Schengen rules. These evaluations assess whether a country is able to take responsibility for controlling the external borders on behalf of the other Schengen States, efficiently cooperate with other law enforcement agencies in other Schengen states in order to maintain a high level of security once border controls are abolished, apply the Schengen rules such as control of external land, sea and air borders (airports), issuing of Schengen visas, return procedures, police cooperation and protection of personal data, and finally the need to connect to and the use of the Schengen Information System.

As soon as Croatia meet all the necessary conditions for the application of all the relevant parts of the Schengen rules, then the Council will take a final decision by unanimity.

Croatia declared its readiness to start the Schengen evaluation process in all relevant policy areas in March 2015. Today’s report takes stock of the progress made during this evaluation process in all relevant areas and confirms the continued fulfilment of commitments undertaken by Croatia during its accession negotiations to the EU.