Croatia has not only met all the criteria for accession to the Schengen passport-free travel area but is also very active in its reform, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic told a press conference on Friday.

All EU member states unanimously confirmed on Thursday that Croatia had fulfilled its obligations under the Schengen acquis, which paves the way for the adoption of decisions on abolishing border controls with Schengen countries.

Croatia’s readiness to take control of the EU’s longest land border is not questionable, Bozinovic said. No other Schengen member has been evaluated so rigorously as Croatia has, he added.

“Croatia is already ready to implement everything concerning the application of the Schengen acquis, and we will also be ready for all new information and other security data exchange systems that will follow after the completion of the Schengen reform package,” Bozinovic said.

He said that the Croatian police had shown great sympathy towards migrants in distress, rescuing many lives.

Four migrants, a mother and three children, were rescued from the swollen Dragonja river on the Istrian peninsula on the border with Slovenia, on Thursday night. A fourth child went missing and a search is under way.

The Croatian police are frequently criticised by non-governmental organisations, and as of late by the Council of Europe too, for their ill-treatment of migrants, which the Croatian authorities strongly deny.

“We, of course, would like this whole process to be regulated in accordance with rules, which is why we are talking about the Schengen reform, so that we do not have to cope with the challenge of illegal migrations because that is not good for anyone,” Bozinovic said.