ZAGREB, Dec 15, 2020 – Interconnecting information systems of the countries in the passport-free Schengen Area, which envisages additional checks on third countries’ citizens at the Schengen external borders may cause delays in traffic at the Slovenia-Croatia border, Slovenian Interior Minister Ales Hojs said on Monday.
Hojs made this statement after a virtual conference of the European Union member-states interior ministers who discussed, among other things, the better connecting of the information already available, in particular by implementing the interoperability of EU information systems.
Also establishing an upgraded acquis on cross-border police cooperation including, for example, adequate powers for cross-border surveillance and a hot pursuit was also on the ministerial meeting’s agenda.
During the virtual meeting, a proposal made by Croatia and Slovenia that additional checks should be conducted at the external border of the European Union was not accepted. This prompted Hojs to say the current application of the new system of surveillance could cause delays at the Slovenia-Croatia border since Croatia has not yet admitted to the Schengen Area.
The system of interoperability requires taking fingerprints and other procedures, which will undoubtedly hold back the traffic on the Croatian side of the border. There was a mention of a possibility of designating special lanes for passengers from third countries, but this would not be possible to implement everywhere on the ground, the Slovenian minister said.
A deadline for establishing interoperability is shifted to May 2022.
