Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania are hoping to join the Schengen zone in 2023. The EU Commission and the European Parliament support this goal. The overriding motive is clear: in times of a threat from Russia, the EU wants to move even closer together. That is why Bulgaria and Romania, EU members since 2007, and Croatia, which joined in 2013, should be allowed to join the innermost circle of the EU, where there are usually no longer any border controls. So far, 22 EU countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland belong to the Schengen area. On December 8, a decision will be made as to whether the three south-eastern European applicants will also be allowed to join. This requires unanimity.
The best chances are for Croatia. For the youngest EU member, the year 2023 can be doubly important, because it is already certain that Croatia will then introduce the euro. Price tags and menus in Croatia have been written in both Croatian kuna and euros for weeks. If border controls with other EU countries were also removed, this would be a great advantage for Croatia’s economy, which is focused on tourism. Traffic jams at the Croatian-Slovenian border during the high season would then normally be a thing of the past.
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