Croatia joins the Schengen Area, but Romania and Bulgaria keep it Croatia

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Croatia was given the green light to join Europe’s open travel zone, but Bulgaria and Romania were pushed back by Austrian-led opposition over concerns about unauthorized immigration.

Croatia was allowed to become the 27th member of the Schengen Area after talks between the bloc’s interior ministers in Brussels. From 2023, people will no longer have to stop for border checks as they pass between Croatia and the rest of the region.

To the citizens of Croatia: Welcome, congratulations! European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said. “To the citizens of Romania and Bulgaria: You deserve to be a full member of Schengen, to have freedom of movement… I share the disappointment of the citizens of Bulgaria and Romania.”

Romania’s prime minister, Nicolae Cioc, said he was disappointed and would apply to enter the region again. “We regret and frankly do not understand the inflexible position taken by Austria,” he said. Bulgaria said it would also make another attempt.

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said he opposed Romania and Bulgaria’s requests because of security concerns. “It is a mistake that a system that is not working properly in so many places should be expanded at this point,” he said.

Karner said Austria has registered 100,000 illegal border crossings so far this year, including 75,000 people who were not previously registered in other Schengen countries as they should have been.

Accession needs the unanimous support of all members – the 22 EU countries plus Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. The Netherlands has also opposed granting access to Bulgaria, citing concerns about corruption and immigration.

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