On Thursday, MEPs supported the abolition of internal border controls between the Schengen area of free movement and Croatia.
In the report, adopted with 534 votes in favour, 53 against and 25 abstentions, the European Parliament consents to Croatia's accession to the Schengen area. On 9 December 2021, the Council confirmed that Croatia has met all the conditions necessary to fully apply Schengen rules. Now MEPs are calling on the Council to continue the process and adopt a final one decision to abolish border controls.
Fundamental rights must be respected
To ensure that fundamental rights are respected at the EU's external borders, MEPs call on Croatia to inform the Parliament and the Council on how it has implemented its action plan for managing the EU's external borders. This applies in particular to an independent mechanism for monitoring the performance of police officers. MEPs want the Commission to assess Croatia's external border management and fundamental rights aspects (including through on-the-spot visits) as part of the Schengen evaluation programme.
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The European Parliament has long been in favor of extending the area of free travel. Currently, the Schengen area comprises 26 countries (EU Member States except Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania) as well as non-EU Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In 2018, MEPs stated that Croatia should be admitted to Schengen as soon as it meets the necessary criteria. On 18 October 2022, they also expressed their support for the immediate admission of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area.
Probably this situation will please many tourists traveling to Croatia. In addition, from January 1, 2023, Croatia will give up its own currency (Croatian kuna) and adopt the euro currency.
Source: European Parliament
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