The leader of Slovenia's largest opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), Janez Jansa, said at the European People's Party (EPP) congress in Zagreb on Thursday that he supported the accession of Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen passport-free zone.

Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia have met the criteria for the Schengen Area. They should be admitted to the Schengen zone, and this will also bolster security in the whole European Union, Jansa said in his speech on the second day of the EPP congress.

On the margins of this gathering in Zagreb, Jansa said that it was not in the Slovenian national interest to block Croatia’s Schengen membership bid.

On the other hand, the Slovenian ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Marjan Sarec has recently criticised the European Commission’s assessment that Croatia is prepared for entering that passport-free zone.