Interior Minister, Davor Bozinovic, said on Thursday that as of 1 January, Croatia would be fully prepared to start functioning as a member of the EU's passport-free travel Schengen Area.

“Everything is ready. It is a process that we have worked on in parallel with finalizing all activities related to the decision by the Council of Ministers of the Interior of the EU,” said Bozinovic at an event at the Police Academy in Zagreb.

Speaking about the handover of 175 new police vehicles, Bozinovic recalled that this year alone, about a thousand vehicles were purchased for the Interior Ministry.

“We are fulfilling what we are here for, creating the best conditions for the Croatian police. We have set standards in the dynamics and quality of procurement so that the Croatian police would no longer be in a position to use old and inadequate equipment, and we will continue  pursuing this policy in the future,” he said.