Schengen Rules Apply on the Hungarian-Croatian Border

As of 00.00 hours this Sunday, Croatia is a member of the Schengen area, which means that travelers will be able to use Croatian-Hungarian border crossings without stopping and without checks, the Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs announced at a ceremony at the Letenye-Muracsány (in Croatian: Gorican) border crossing Saturday night.

In his speech (partly in Hungarian), Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman, a former Croatian ambassador in Budapest, called the accession to the Schengen area a historic step for both countries. He said that his country had achieved two strategic goals with this day, as not only the Schengen rules had entered into force at the internal borders, but Croatia had also become a member of the eurozone.

He added that when he was ambassador in Budapest – from 2012 to 2017 – his country became a member of the European Union, and now, as minister of foreign affairs, he can announce that Croatia has joined the Schengen area, which means full freedom of movement within the EU.

"This will facilitate, and at the same time improve and promote, cross-border cooperation. It is a huge step forward in economic terms for two nations with 800 years of shared history," the Croatian politician praised.

According to Gordan Grlic Radman, the free movement of people living along the border who have properties on the other side of the border is a great improvement, but it could also bring a further boost to tourism.

"We thank friendly Hungary for its support," the Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister stressed.

The ceremony, held at the Letenye-Muracsány road border crossing, was attended by ambassadors of the two countries, as well as representatives of minorities, leaders of Hungary’s Zala county and border municipalities, as well as the leaders of Croatia’s Muraköz county and nearby municipalities.

With Croatia's entry into the Schengen area, controls have been lifted at 15 on the Croatian-Hungarian border and 58 crossing points on the Croatian-Slovenian border.