Slovenian Interior Minister Ales Hojs said on Wednesday that the agreed conclusion of all EU member states that Croatia is ready to join the Schengen zone was one of the two biggest achievements of his country's presidency of the Council of the EU, which ends on 31 December.

Three weeks ago, the EU member states agreed the text of conclusions confirming that Croatia had fulfilled the criteria for the application of the Schengen acquis, which paves the way for a decision on its accession to the passport-free travel zone within the European Union.

The agreed conclusion was adopted by EU home affairs ministers at a meeting chaired by Minister Hojs.

“It is not realistic to expect Croatia’s entry into Schengen before 1 January 2023,” the Slovenian minister said, adding that he personally would like it happen at the start of that year even though such expectations might be slightly too optimistic.

Hojs said that he would support this view during the next six months when the presidency will be held by France.

Speaking at a press conference about the results of the Slovenian presidency of the EU, Hojs said that the second important achievement was the adoption of a joint statement on Afghanistan, after the Taliban again took power in that country.

The statement reaffirmed Slovenia’s position that another mass wave of migrants into Europe, similar to one that followed the outbreak of war in Syria, must not be allowed again, that the migration problem should be tackled in countries adjacent to Afghanistan, and that the families of Afghans who had cooperated with the EU and its institutions should be transferred to Europe.