Croatia's Schengen area entry is one of its biggest political successes since its EU entry, Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic said before checkpoints on the border with Slovenia and Hungary are to be removed and border checks of vessels from Schengen seaports are to be cancelled on New Year's Day.

“Schengen and the euro are symbols as well as guardians of European unity confirmed in hard times, and we are going through such times due to the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Bozinovic said in an interview with Hina.

Joining the biggest world border control-free area, with some 420 million residents, is also the main benefit of EU membership and serves as impetus to development, notably in border areas, from Istria to northwestern Croatia and Slavonia, Bozinovic said.

“Those areas are yet to fully develop their potential, new energy is being unleashed. Those points of contact have always been places of sharing the best practices and customs and catalysts of new business ideas,” he said.

Schengen area is not, should not be mediaeval fortress

Asked how he saw relations with the countries on the other side of the EU’s external border, Bozinovic said that the Schengen area is not and should not be a mediaeval fortress, protected with thick walls from the rest of the world, but a modern Europe of progressive ideas and vibrant economy.

“It’s a fact that Europe will continue to be attractive for a long time to come, migrations to Russia or China have not been reported and that is where the EU differs from authoritarian societies. Europe is open, it is a leader of the modern world and that is why it must remain open and continue attracting people,” he said.

On the other hand, Europe must be realistic and rational regarding illegal entries, he added.

“They are uncontrolled, linked with organised crime and do not bring anything good to Europe or the migrants themselves, who are often victims of criminal groups that make profit on their misfortune.”

EU should reconcile differences on migration issue

Bozinovic said that following many objections, Croatia has established an independent mechanism of monitoring border police conduct, which many now consider an example to other European police forces.

“We consciously took that path because from day one we have believed that migration must be a legal and regulated area,” he said.

The EU’s response to migrations will be a new pact on migrations and asylum that is being worked on. It must be a uniform response, which, like any other change in the EU, must reconcile the differences on migrations that exist in Europe, Bozinovic said, noting that the reasons for those differences were many, one of the most obvious being the different traditions and histories of European countries.

There are parts of the EU where migrations were not such a pronounced phenomenon as in some other EU countries, where coexistence with migrant populations is an integral part of those nations’ development, he said.

“That is an issue that will certainly determine the EU’s future. That is why we are investing major effort to educate the police, who must not only master standard police methods but also be aware at any moment that protecting the public order in a democratic society includes protection of every individual’s fundamental rights,” Bozinovic said.

Contribution of police to development of democratic society

Bozinovic noted that all Croatian police officers had undergone such training.

“A balance needs to be established between efficient police work in fighting crime and the contribution of police to the constant democratisation of Croatian society. It is not an easy task, especially in the current times, when we are faced with more security challenges than ever before.”

In the process of accession to the Schengen area Croatian police have established close ties with leading European and global security agencies, which, Bozinovic is confident, is one of the reasons why today they are more successful than ever before in fighting all forms of crime, including hybrid threats and busting of terrorist rings.

As for the importance of Schengen entry in the global political context, the minister said that “it is about the difference between democracies and authoritarian societies, which has come to the fore following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”

“There are politicians in Croatia, too, who do not understand that small countries like Croatia can make progress only in a democratic environment. Croats were able to establish their own state only when democracy won in Europe. For many, that transition was peaceful, but unfortunately not for us. We had to make great sacrifices and win a war because we had an autocratic regime as our adversary,” Bozinovic concluded.