Croatia to join Schengen on 1 January

The EU member states' interior ministers on Thursday unanimously decided to give a go-ahead to Croatia to join the Schengen Area, enabling the country to become the 27th member of the largest border-free area in the world on January 1, 2023.

As a result of this unanimous decision made at a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels, in less than a month border controls will be abolished at Croatia's land and sea border crossings and, in the spring, at airports.

On Thursday, the interior ministers of the 22 EU member states that are also Schengen members made a final decision on the "full application of the Schengen acquis communaitaire in the Republic of Croatia," which means the abolition of border controls towards the Schengen Area.

Schengen membership means removing all land border controls between member countries while at the same time reinforcing external EU borders with non-EU countries, essentially allowing nationals of member countries free travel without any passport or customs checks.

Interior Minister Davor Božinović said on Thursday that Croatia's membership would be beneficial for citizens, the economy, and the entire EU.

"We can finally say that Croatia has joined the Schengen area. Croatian citizens, beginning on 1 January, will be members of the largest free-travel area in the world. This is a major success, but it didn't come without hard work," said the minister.

As of 1 January, there will be 27 member states in the Schengen Area, of which 23 are EU members and Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein are all members of the European Free Trade Association.

The Schengen Area today encompasses about 4 million square kilometers of territory with a population of almost 420 million people.

In the tenth year of its membership in the EU, Croatia will simultaneously became a member of the Schengen Area and the euro zone on 1 January, 2023.