Today at the meeting of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, HDZ members Dubravka Šuica and Andrej Plenković discussed the draft Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council which will simplify the regime for the control of persons at the external borders of Croatia and which allows for unilateral recognition of Schengen residence permits and visas.

˝Croatia has aligned itself with the EU visa policy, but subsequently, as a tourist country, we experienced certain negative effects that are reflected through the reduction in the number of tourists for example from Russia and Turkey during the tourist season. I hope that the Government will support this proposal to simplify procedures for visa recognition because alongside the positive effects on tourism, these decisions will reduce unnecessary administrative costs˝, said Šuica.

Plenković emphasized: "The next priority objective of Croatian is to meet the criteria for accession to the Schengen Area. In this regard, it is crucial that the Croatian government use the 120 million euros at its disposal during 2013 and 2014 with quality and for the efficient preparation and adjustment for entry into the Schengen system.˝

In this context, he welcomed the Decision which simplifies the procedure by which Croatia will be able to unilaterally recognize Schengen visas and residence permits.  

Source: European Parliament