Croatia will definitely join the Schengen zone. The vote of EU member states took place today. 

EU countries have unanimously supported Croatia’s accession to the Schengen area. Visa-free travel to Schengen countries will be available to Croatia from January 1, 2023.


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For Bulgaria and Romania, which also met all the requirements, this vote ended badly: Austria opposed their accession.

«We need more time. Right now we have 75,000 illegal migrants in Austria. This has to be solved first,» said Chancellor Karl Nehammer on the matter.

German Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser disagreed with the Austrian position: 

— I cannot understand Austria’s position in this regard. I know that there is a lot of internal debate on this issue in Austria.

Note that the Schengen zone is being expanded for the first time in more than 10 years.