Croatia became a member of the Schengen Area and the 20th member of the Eurozone.

For the first time, a member state of the European Union joins the European Monetary Union and the space for travel without border controls in Europe on the same day, explains BNT.

Croatia has eliminated 73 border crossing points with its neighbors Slovenia and Hungary, which are also Schengen members, and 12 border crossing points on the sea border.

Checks at internal air borders will be dropped from March 26 due to technical details.

Zagreb will also start issuing Schengen visas and will be able to make full use of the Schengen Information System.

Von der Leyen: Croatia's entry into Schengen and the Eurozone is a symbol of a new beginning


For Croatia of 4 million, the lifting of restrictions means more tourists, mostly from Italy.

Many Italians prefer to spend their summer holidays in the Balkan country, but it is the queues at the border that have been the biggest problem so far.



Joining Schengen means for Zagreb a faster and cheaper flow of goods and services, strengthening the competitiveness of the Croatian economy and increasing revenues from tourism, which is a leading sector for the country, as well as additional encouragement for foreign investors.