Federal Council approves Croatia’s entry into Schengen
Following a decision by the Council of the European Union in early December, Croatia will join the Schengen area on January 1, 2023.
Croatia becomes the 27th member of the Schengen area in which more than 400 million people can travel freely, without internal border controls.
Keystone
Switzerland, which is part of Schengen, accepts that Croatia enters this area of free movement of people. The Federal Council on Wednesday approved this decision of the Council of the EU taken on December 8.
Croatia will join the Schengen area on January 1, 2023. There will therefore no longer be any checks on people at the land and sea borders between this country and the other countries of the Schengen area. Croatia will also be able to issue Schengen visas. Air border controls will be lifted from March 26, 2023 to coincide with the switch to the civil aviation summer timetable.
The decision of the Council of the EU is part of the development of the Schengen acquis, which Switzerland has undertaken to adopt by signing the Schengen association agreement. The resumption of the decision goes through an exchange of notes between Switzerland and the EU. This exchange of notes will come into effect when the response note is sent, that is to say no later than Friday, specifies the government.
Croatia becomes the 27th member of the Schengen area in which more than 400 million people can travel freely, without internal border controls. This country of 3.9 million inhabitants, member of the EU since 2013, will also join the euro zone next January.
Romania and Bulgaria failed
On December 8, the Council of the EU, on the other hand, rejected the accessions of Romania and Bulgaria. Present at the meeting, State Secretary for Migration Christine Schraner Burgener indicated that Switzerland “has always been very favorable” to the inclusion of the three countries.
The Romanian and Bulgarian candidatures came up against the vetoes of Austria – and of the Netherlands for Bulgaria. Austria, which is facing a sharp increase in asylum applications, feared that the lifting of border controls with these two countries would further increase the arrival of migrants. The two former communist countries entered the EU in 2007 and have been knocking on Schengen’s door for more than ten years.
ATS
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