"Zagreb enjoys the French support for accession to the Schengen Area," Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in Otocec ob Krki in Slovenia, while the "start of the procedure to achieve that aim" is expected in December during Slovenia's chairmanship of the Council of the European Union, state agency Hina said on Monday.

Plenkovic expects the legal procedure for the formal green-light to access the Schengen Area to start in December and that a final decision could be made in the first half of 2022 when France takes over the chairmanship.

Asked by reporters if Zagreb has support from Paris to achieve that aim, Plenkovic clearly said: “We do,” and added that the support will be included in the contents of the strategic partnership that France and Croatia will sign this week during the first-ever visit by a French president to Croatia.

France and Croatia have a strategic partnership but that will be expanded in the new agreements.

“That will advance political dialogue and cooperation with regard to Southeast Europe, the EU, NATO (…) economic cooperation,” added Plenkovic.

President Emmanuel Macron will first meet with President Zoran Milanovic on Thursday and then later with Plenkovic.

In Otocec ob Krki, Plenkovic once again reiterated that “2022 is the year that we will resolve the Schengen Area and in 2023 membership to the euro area,” and Slovenia is “Croatia’s partner on that journey.”

“Prime Minister (Janez) Jansa and the Slovenian government’s support is strong, firm and consistent,” Plenkovic said in Slovenia where he and Jansa, along with the former prime ministers of Croatia and Slovenia of thirty years ago – Franjo Greguric and Alojz Peterle – unveiled a memorial plaque at the Otocec Castle honouring the cooperation between the governments of both countries during their struggle for independence in the 1990s.

Plenkovic added that Slovenia is Croatia’s “best neighbour and friend,” and that the two countries are endeavouring to resolve “residual issues,” and that talks are being conducted “permanently and quietly.”