War spurs EU to bring Croatia in Schengen zone

Bloomberg

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine wreaks destruction on the fringes of the European Union, the bloc is poised to pull its newest member closer into the fold.
Croatia, which joined the EU almost a decade ago, is on the verge of joining the Schengen zone — the passport-free area stretching from Norway’s Arctic coast to Spain’s Atlantic seaboard and the Greek isles in the Aegean.
It’s hoping to secure approval so it can remove its border crossings to the EU when it also joins the euro area on Jan. 1.
Once granted, Schengen entry will ease passage for more than 10 million Europeans who travel to Croatia’s Adriatic shores for holidays each year in a boost to its economy.
For the EU, it means deepening a commitment to a once-tumultuous Balkan region where the war in Ukraine has highlighted the risk of failing to more closely engage with countries that are also targets in a struggle for influence with Russia.
“The war in Ukraine, led by Russia, is calling us Europeans to be more united than before,” Gael Veyssiere, French ambassador to Zagreb, told Bloomberg. “Schengen would be stronger with Croatia inside its ranks, rather than outside.”
The decision carries risks, however. While it’s aimed at strengthening unity in the EU, Croatia will effectively leapfrog two other members — Romania and Bulgaria — that have been jostling to enter Schengen since they joined the bloc in 2007. They’ve been held back due to concerns over corruption and their ability to secure their borders.
There’s also concern among some EU countries that Croatia will struggle to protect its 1,000 km (621 mile) border with Bosnia-Herzegovina, a country that ranks as one of Europe’s poorest and most corrupt nations and lies along a prominent route taken by migrants from the Middle East and Africa to Western Europe. By comparison, Schengen’s current external border between Slovenia and Croatia is 668 km.