Croatia fulfills measures to enter Schengen area: EU

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

ANKARA (AA) - The EU on Tuesday said Croatia has taken measures needed to be part of the Schengen area.

"The European Commission considers that, based on the results of the Schengen evaluation process initiated in 2016, Croatia has taken the measures needed to ensure that the necessary conditions for the full application of the Schengen rules and standards are met," the EU Commission said in a statement on Tuesday.

It said that Croatia will need to continue working on the implementation of all ongoing actions, in particular its management of the external borders, to ensure that these conditions continue to be met.

The statement added that the Commission invites the EU Council to discuss integrating Croatia into the Schengen area.

Schengen area consists of 26 European countries and enables crossing internal borders without being subjected to border checks.

Croatia had started negotiations for full EU membership in October 2005, at the same time with Turkey, and became a full member in 2013.