"European Union's member countries - Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria - meet the criteria to join the EU's passport-free travel Schengen Area, and Germany will work to make it possible for them to join," German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said in Prague on Monday.

“Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria have met all the technical requirements for full membership. I will work to see them become full members,” he said in his speech titled Europe Is our Future, delivered at the Charles University in Prague.

Out of 27 EU member countries 22 are currently part of the Schengen Area. The five who aren’t include Croatia, which is likely to join in January 2023 once the procedure is approved later this year at the EU level, as well as Bulgaria and Romania, who both joined the EU in 2007 but have yet to become part of the borderless travel area.

The remaining two are island nations of Ireland and Cyprus, which have no land border with other EU members.

Scholz said that Germany would continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as necessary.” Commenting on further enlargement of the European Union, Scholz said that Germany is committed to the enlargement process and that Western Balkan countries, Ukraine, Moldova, as well as Georgia, should “join the bloc over time.”