Web Desk
ZAGREB: Croatia has been given the green light to join Europe’s open travel zone, but Bulgaria and Romania were kept out because of opposition led by Austria over concerns about unauthorised immigration.
Croatia was cleared to become the Schengen zone’s 27th member after talks between the bloc’s interior ministers in Brussels. From 2023, people will not have to stop for border checks as they pass between Croatia and the rest of the zone.
“To the citizens of Croatia: welcome, congratulations!” said the European commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson. “To the citizens of Romania and Bulgaria: you deserve to be full members of Schengen, to have access to the free movement. I share the disappointment with the citizens of Bulgaria and Romania.”
Romania’s prime minister, Nicolae Ciucă, said he was disappointed and would apply to enter the zone again. “We regret and honestly do not understand the inflexible position taken by Austria,” he said. Bulgaria said it would also make another attempt.
Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, said he had opposed Romania and Bulgaria’s applications because of security concerns. “It is wrong that a system that does not work properly in many places would get expanded at this point,” he said.
Karner said Austria had recorded 100,000 illegal border crossings so far this year, including 75,000 people who had not previously been registered in other Schengen countries as they should have been.
