European Parliament supports Croatia's entry into Schengen

(Patria) - MEPs today voted in favour of Croatia's entry into Schengen, meaning only the confirmation of the Council of the European Union, i.e. the consent of all EU member states that are part of this common area, remains. This is expected at the beginning of December. Neighbouring Croatia would thus enter the common area, where more than 400 million people move freely, on January 1st.

MEPs voted on the European Parliament's opinion on the draft Council of the EU decision to admit Croatia to the Schengen area. 534 MEPs voted in favour, 53 against, and 25 abstained. The text states that Croatia meets all the criteria for accession to the Schengen area and there are no obstacles to it becoming a full member of this area without internal border controls.

- Congratulations to Croatia, this is a historic moment, said EP President Roberta Metsola.

- Croatia has so far undergone the most comprehensive evaluation of Schengen membership compared to any EU member state. It has fulfilled 281 recommendations from eight areas of Schengen acquis. The Commission and the Council have confirmed Croatia's readiness to fully apply Schengen rules. The European Parliament fully agrees with the following: the abolition of internal border controls must be implemented by the end of this year, said rapporteur Paulo Rangel (EPP, Portugal) after the vote, according to a statement from the EP.

This vote concludes the European Parliament's role in the process of Croatia's entry into the Schengen area.

The European Parliament's role in this decision-making is only advisory, but according to the procedural rules, the Council, i.e. the member states, must seek the opinion of the Parliament. Although this opinion is not binding on the Council, it is still good for it to be positive, both for the political message and to avoid giving an opportunity to some member states that might have certain reservations about the expansion of Schengen to use a potentially negative opinion as an excuse for opposition.

The final decision will be made by 22 EU member states, which are also members of the Schengen area, at a meeting on December 9th.

The Schengen area currently includes most EU member states, except for Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, and Romania. However, in addition to Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania are also currently in the process of joining.

Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, which are not EU members, are also in the Schengen area.