After accession, next comes Schengen

Published on 3 May 2013 at 13:29

Croatia, which will officially join the EU on July 1, aims to be part of Schengen by 2015, reports Der Standard. However, the Austrian daily explains, inclusion in the free movement area, which will effectively make the country responsible for some of the EU’s external borders, still represents —

an equipment and manpower challenge for Croatia. According to the newspaper Novi List, an additional 750 police will have to be recruited. And the country will need more thermal cameras, helicopters, and specific vehicles for use on land and sea to protect Europe’s borders.

Although checkpoints on Croatia’s borders with, Italy, Slovenia and Hungary will remain in operation after the state joins the EU, Zagreb is eager to begin preparations to fulfill the criteria for Schengen membership, adds Der Standard. Croatia has also begun talks on conditions for common procedures with Slovenia and Hungary to facilitate tourist access to its territory.

Checks on EU citizens on the state’s borders with EU countries, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and in its ports and airports should be facilitated, explains Der Standard, which points out that two checkpoints on the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina were opened at the end of April — a measure that was one of the conditions for Croatia’s accession to the EU.

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