ZAGREB, June 9, 2018 – The international conference “Schengen – Achievements and Expectations” was held in Dubrovnik on Friday in preparation for Croatia’s accession to the Schengen Area.
The Dubrovnik conference was organised by Croatian Social Democrat member of the European Parliament Tonino Picula, who underscored that due to its geopolitical position Croatia had to contribute to security and that it belonged in the Schengen area.
“That would make our EU membership complete and enable us to make the most of it. This is a time of extreme pressure on Schengen, and due to migrations and terrorism many are questioning if the area can be maintained. Croatia must meet the technical standards as well as politically convince the European Council that it should be admitted as soon as possible,” Picula said.
He added that 120 million euro invested into controlling the external borders was well invested money. “We have to meet 96 recommendations by the end of this Commission’s term because President Jean-Claude Juncker has stated clearly that Croatia should be admitted as soon as it meets the technical criteria. It will also be necessary to convince those who have political or even bilateral reservations to our accession, however, this must not be a bilateral issue but a joint European response,” he said.
Romania and Bulgaria should be admitted to the Schengen area immediately and Croatia should be admitted as soon as it meets the technical criteria, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said via video link.
Vice President of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and leader of the European Socialists Party, Segei Stanisev said that the political blockade to Bulgaria and Romania joining the Schengen Area was scandalous as they had met all the necessary technical criteria seven years ago.
Deputy Director-General of the European Commission for Migration and Home Affairs Simon Mordue said that a new generation of border control measures would be adopted in the next few weeks which would increase the budget from 13 million to 35 million euro. The EC’s stance is clear, we positively assessed Bulgaria and Romania back in 2011 and recommended that the European Council gives its opinion, Mordue said.
State-Secretary in Romania’s interior ministry Daniel Robert Marin underscored that the lack of border controls affected the everyday lives of citizens. It’s our priority to secure the borders with modern instruments and cooperation as well as modernising infrastructure. Romania, as a stakeholder of stability in the EU, has attracted significant investments in that regard, not just from EU funds but from its own budget too, he said.
Bulgaria’s Deputy Interior Minister Krasimir Cipov said that the EU must respond to the challenges of the migrant crisis and terrorism as well as revive the Schengen Area. The EU’s security depends on the security of its external borders. In that regard, Bulgraia has proven to be an equal partner, Cipov underscored.
