It has been a long and arduous process for Croatia to become a member of the Schengen area. Croatia has been seeking to join Schengen since 2016. But the acceptance procedure will have progressed at a snail's pace.
In October 2019, the European Commission had already noted that Croatia had taken the necessary measures to ensure that the conditions required for the application of all parts of the Schengen acquis are fulfilled. These include the thorny issue of the EU's external borders.
The thorny problem of the eastern borders
Croatia is very exposed to non-member Balkan countries.. It shares borders with Serbia and, above all, Bosnia-Herzegovina. This country is perceived as a hub for many migrants and illegal immigrants. All in all, there are almost 1,350 km of borders to keep a close eye on. That's 1,011 km with Bosnia, 318 km with Serbia and 25 km with Montenegro.
However, Croatia completed the action plans for the areas assessed by the EU in February 2021. On 9 December 2021, the European Council approved conclusions on the fulfilment of the necessary conditions for the full application of the Schengen acquis in Croatia.
Between 2016 and 2020, teams experts from the Commission and the Member States have verified the application of the acquis de Schengen Agreement by Croatia in the areas of data protection, coops police, the common visa policy, management of external borders and return, the Schengen Information System, firearms and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. criminal.
According to the Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, EU leaders will probably take the final decision to make his country the 27th member of the Schengen area in the autumn. The war in Ukraine probably played in favour of Croatia's integration in Schengen in order to solidify the European bloc. Particularly in the face of a Serbia that is - quite rightly - perceived to be under strong influence from Moscow.
"We have worked very hard to meet the criteria," Andrej Plenkovic told European Parliament lawmakers on 29 June. "We should be joining this more solid integration on 1 January".
The euro confirmed
For travellers, Croatia's entry into Schengen will mean the abolition of the internal border with Slovenia (688 km) and faster transfers of goods and people to and from that country.. On the face of it, final approval in the autumn looks like a formality. While land borders and controls will be abolished on 1 January, air travel will take longer. We will probably have to wait until March 2023 to switch flights to the Schengen area..
On the other hand, Croatia is certain to adopt the euro. At the beginning of June, the European Commission and the European Central Bank gave their approval for Croatia to switch to the euro on 1 January 2023. The process is not yet complete, but the outcome is now clear. Croatia will become the 20th member of the euro zone on 1 January 2023.
The local currency, the Kuna, joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) on 10 July 2020. The Kuna currently has a central rate of 7.53450 for one euro. With a standard fluctuation margin of ±15%.
