Croatian Accession to the Schengen Area – A Successful Conclusion of a Difficult Path?

The idea behind the round table was to debate about one of the biggest achievements of the European integration process, the Schengen regime. After the accession to the EU in 2013, Croatia started the process of implementation of the Schengen acquis.

‍In 2019 the European Commission announced that Croatia had met the necessary technical criteria for joining the Schengen area and suggested the Council to make a final political decision on tha tmatter. Recent years have been marked by a changing environment that negatively affects the perspectives of future enlargement. First, the migrant crisis in 2015 which has jolted the pillars of united Europe, asking for a revision of the Dublin Regulation and leaving on hold further enlargement. Second, the recent epidemiological crisis fostered the reestablishment of national borders and reopened many questions regarding the functioning of this unique territory and its future. A debate about the Schengen area, its future functionality, and enlargement is clearly important more than ever.

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