Schengen, Luxembourg

Brussels – Coming out of a meeting of EU home affairs ministers, Slovenia’s Aleš Hojs said it had been agreed that Croatia meets the conditions for entering the Schengen Area, and that it was a key step towards a final decision on the expansion of the no-passport zone. Hojs believes other steps will follow relatively soon.

Minister of Internal Affairs Lucian Bode welcomed on Thursday the resolution voted by the European Parliament whereby the European Council is requested to approve Romania's accession to the Schengen area, emphasizing that our country has an "essential" role in the architecture of EU security.

The European Commission unveiled a set of proposals on Wednesday aimed at improving the functioning of the Schengen free travel area, including a demand that EU member states expedite the admission of Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus.

The closure of national borders has helped limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, but it's also dealt a devastating blow to tourism, travel and trade. That's especially true across the EU, where the bloc's Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson has called for a return to open borders as soon as possible.

The future of ID-check free travel across 26 European countries is at risk if governments do not ease soon the emergency border restrictions they introduced to halt the spread of the coronavirus, European Union lawmakers and officials warned Tuesday.

Voices supporting the admission of Romania into the Schengen Area have been raised immediately after the country took the rotating EU presidency, reported schengenvisainfo.com

/Balkan Insight/ The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted a report stressing that Romania and Bulgaria's readiness to join the Schengen Agreement should not be linked to the rule of law in the two countries, despite the lack of consensus on the matter in the European Council, the European Union's top decision-making body.

The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted a report stressing that Romania and Bulgaria's readiness to join the Schengen Agreement should not be linked to the rule of law in the two countries, despite the lack of consensus on the matter in the European Council, the European Union's top decision-making body.

A recent rift between Athens and Berlin over increased security checks on travelers arriving in Germany from Greece appears to be on the mend following a meeting between representatives from the two countries and an official at the European Commission in Brussels on Thursday.

Athens has lodged a demarche with Berlin over increased checks on Greek travelers at German airports that contravene procedures stipulated in the Schengen Agreement.