EU Commission gives Croatia the greenlight for joining SchengenOctober 23, 2019 - 16:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - It has been an EU member for six years, and now the Commission has given Croatia the greenlight to join the Schengen zone, euronews reports. "It's an area that comes with freedoms and privileges but also with great responsibilities, joining this club is not something that we take lightly..." Greek Commissioner Dimitri Avramopoulos explained. After four years of assessment the Commission says that Zagreb meets the necessary conditions to be part of the passport-free travel area. Countries joining must be able to ensure the security of the bloc's external border - a sensitive political topic due to migration since 2015. "The future Schengen accession of Croatia, but also Bulgaria and Romania is all the more relevant and necessary given the migratory and security challenges of today," Avramopoulos said. It is a sore point for Romania and Bulgaria - members since 2010, they have yet to be granted access to Schengen. But the issue has also divided MEPS. "For Croatia, it's not only some kind of satisfaction. It's some kind of commitment to even upgrade what is needed to overcome its problems," Croatian Socialist MEP Tonino Picula said. "I'm disappointed. I think it's a political decision and I regret that we don't discuss it with the next Commission. Looking at the reality on the ground, we don't have a full Schengen functioning - this was a bad decision," Slovenian Socialist MEP Tanja Fajon explained. It is now up to the EU national leaders to decide whether or not to let Croatia join the club. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |