Božinović: I am confident that Austria will support Croatia's entry into Schengen

(Patria) - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović held a press conference where he spoke about Croatia's entry into Schengen.

Recall, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner opposes the expansion of the Schengen area to Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania, reported the German agency dpa, citing the Austrian newspaper Kurier. "It is not appropriate to vote on expansion when the external border system is not functioning," Karner told the Austrian newspaper.

"Nothing special is happening. I spoke with the minister. Austria has always supported Croatia's entry into Schengen and it will benefit the most from our entry," said Božinović. "There are some concerns, this year the number of illegal migrations has increased, the increase is over 190 percent. We are also recording an increase. When it comes to Austria, they do not come through Croatia. However, there is a problem regarding migrations.

On Friday we have an extraordinary council and the entire package of migrant waves will be discussed there," said Božinović.

"This was a message that Austria sent to everyone at that meeting being organized on Friday in Brussels, that attention must be paid to the overall problems with migrants. According to the information we have, this will be discussed," he added.

"It is a good signal that the Austrian chancellor is coming here on Wednesday and this will be a topic. Austria does not see Croatia as a problem and I am confident that they will show that on December 8 when the final decision will be made," he added.

"We have an increase in migrants from countries we have never registered, that was a consequence of the liberalization of the visa regime. After Afghanistan, for a time the most represented nationality was Burundi. And that is also being recorded in other EU member states. This prompted the Commission and the Council to apply pressure," explains Božinović.

"Illegal migrations will remain a topic we will deal with for a long time," he added. "Among EU member states, you have those for whom the issue of migration is something traditional, and you have those who are just now encountering migration issues. You have those who are on the external borders and even there the challenges are not the same. Italy is most concerned about the sea route," continued Božinović.

"Croatia is one of the bigger gains for Schengen," he concluded. When asked if he had spoken with Milanović, he said he had never spoken with him on this topic because it is mostly within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior.

"I am confident that Austria will support our entry. The chancellor is coming to Croatia and this issue will be on the agenda. Incidentally, the chancellor was the minister of the interior until a year ago. When it comes to Austria, I am sure they see all the advantages of Croatia's entry into Schengen," he says.

When asked if his Austrian colleague told him that he would vote for Croatia's entry, Božinović says: "He told me that Austria has never been against Croatia. Austria is concerned about the migrant crisis. The Czech presidency has foreseen two decisions, one for Croatia, and the other for Bulgaria and Romania."

When asked if he understands this as political pressure, he says that Austria is not asking anything from Croatia.