ZAGREB, October 9, 2019 – EU Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said on Tuesday he would do his utmost so that by the end of this month Croatia was given the assessment that it was ready to join the Schengen Area because it deserved it.
Asked by reporters in Luxembourg if the Commission would confirm at its meeting next week that Croatia was ready for Schengen, he said he was doing his best to have that assessment by the end of this Commission’s term because Croatia deserved it and because he had vowed it at his hearing five years ago.
On one condition, naturally, that Croatia meets the benchmarks, Avramopoulos said. Asked if Croatia met all the criteria, he added that they were in the final stretch.
On September 26, after meeting Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Croatia should become a full Schengen member and that the Commission was finalising its assessment.
A positive assessment from the Commission is not enough for joining as the assessment is only about technical readiness. The final decision is made by all member states.
More news about Croatia and its attempts to enter Schengen can be found in the Politics section.
