Croatia joins the Schengen area
14:26
On Thursday (8 December), EU member states confirmed Croatia's acceptance into the Schengen area. Romania and Bulgaria will still have to wait.
This means that any document checks will disappear at Croatia's borders with Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy. Controls at land borders will be abolished from the beginning of the year, while at airports from March.
Opposing the candidature of both Bulgaria and Romania was Austria. In addition, the Netherlands also voted against Bulgaria's entry into Schengen. The Austrian authorities argue their opposition to the large number of migrants arriving in the EU via the Balkans.
Apart from Bulgaria and Romania, Cyprus and Ireland are not yet part of the Schengen area.
