Croatia joins Schengen area

After being an EU member for six years , the European Commission has given Croatia the greenlight to join the Schengen zone.

Euronews reports that after four years of assessment the Commission says that Zagreb meets the necessary conditions to be part of the passport-free travel area. Countries joining must be able to ensure the security of the bloc’s external border – a sensitive political topic due to migration since 2015.

“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,” Commissioner Dimitri Avramopoulos said.

It is a sore point for Romania and Bulgaria – members since 2010, they have yet to be granted access to Schengen.

Via Euronews