Croatia to join Schengen visa-free travel zone in January
(VOVWORLD) -The EU agreed Thursday to allow Croatia to participate in the Schengen visa-free travel zone, but Romania and Bulgaria were kept out.
 European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson (left) and Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan address a press conference at a meeting of EU interior ministers at the European Council building in Brussels on Dec.8, 2022. Photo: rferl.org |
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said the EU has not yet reached a consensus on Bulgaria and Romania.
The Schengen area is the world's largest free travel zone. It comprises 26 countries — 22 EU states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Some 1.7 million people live in one Schengen country and work in another, and 3.5 million people cross an internal border each day.
Last month, the EC ruled that all three candidates – Croatia, Bulgaria, and Romania - meet the technical criteria for joining, and the European Parliament has voted in favor of their membership.
Bulgaria and Romania faced opposition from Austria, who has seen a large increase in asylum requests and fears that admitting the two countries would increase unauthorized immigration.