- Published: 12.03.2015.
Croatia submits declaration of readiness for Schengen evaluation
Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic in Brussels on Thursday delivered to the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, Croatia's declaration of its readiness to start the Schengen evaluation process.
Avramopoulos said that the European Commission welcomed the Croatian Declaration.
I appreciate efforts Croatia has made in preparations for the Schengen Area and I support its entry into the Schengen Area, the Commissioner said, announcing the first evaluation visit to Croatia for next year.
The Commission will take all the necessary steps to activate the evaluation process. This means that it will adjust its multi-annual evaluation plan to add Croatia for 2016, he said.
Minister Ostojic said that he was confident that during the technical stages of the evaluation process Croatia would prove its readiness for entry into the borderless Schengen Area.
After that, political lobbying will ensue, which is perhaps a tougher part, Ostojic said. He said that Croatia had done a lot to prepare itself for the Schengen area.
The evaluation and monitoring mechanism covers all aspects of the Schengen acquis: effective application of necessary measures on the external borders, visa policies, the Schengen information system, data protection, police cooperation, judicial cooperation, absence of internal border control.
Schengen Area members decide on admission of new entrants by consensus.
(Hina)