Envoys of the EU27 countries in Brussels raised no objections to Croatia’s accession to the bloc’s passport-free Schengen area next year, indicating that the final decision should be endorsed on Thursday, Jutarnji List reported quoting diplomatic sources.
At a Coreper meeting (Committee of Permanent Representatives) on Wednesday, “no voice was raised against Croatia, which indicates that interior ministers will formally endorse the decision” when they get together on Thursday, the daily wrote.
N1 reported the same thing. adding that the vote on Croatia should be a formality.
Ministers will hold two separate votes on Schengen enlargement: One on Croatia, expected to pass without hiccups, and another one on Bulgaria and Romania’s accession, which will probably hit a brick wall due to opposition from Austria and the Netherlands.
Austria has made it clear it was in favour of Croatia but would oppose both Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the EU in 2007, while the Dutch would be willing to accept Romania but not Bulgaria.
Sofia has already threatened retaliatory measures if its path is blocked, particularly as the European Commission said in its latest expert assessment that all three countries are ready to join Schengen.
Croatia, the latest country to join the EU, in July 2013, will also become a member of the eurozone in January.
(Zoran Radosavljević | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
