Minister Expects Slovenia to Join Schengen Zone in 2007
Interior Minister Dragutin Mate expects Slovenia to join the Schengen no-border zone by the end of 2007 after EU interior ministers endorsed on Tuesday the phased-out removal of border checks starting in December 2007.
Slovenia can expect to phase out land border posts by 31 December 2007, while the opening of air borders will be delayed until March 2008 due to technical difficulties, Mate told the press on the margins of the ministers' meeting.
The roadmap comes after the Justice and Home Affairs Council gave the go-ahead for the expansion of the current Schengen Information System (SIS I) to overcome the delay in the implementation of the next-generation system, the SIS II.
According to Mate, technical preparations will be completed in August and the newcomers to Schengen will start connecting to the SIS in September.
After the system is tested the final decision on the expansion of the Schengen zone will be made by the interior ministers in November 2007, Mate explained.
"I can say with near certainty that Slovenia will meet its commitments," Mate said. He warned, however, that Slovenian and Portuguese IT experts have their work cut out in ensuring that the computer system works flawlessly.
Mate was hopeful that all other aspiring Schengen entrants would meet the criteria too. The newcomers have agreed in meetings in Vilnius and Brno to help each other and old member states voiced support.
The minister emphasised that Slovenia had been instrumental in securing agreement, as it had managed to get all the EU newcomers to coordinate their position, which at first seemed impossible.
"In July it still seemed that the matter is closed and impossible, but in September Portugal moved it from the standstill," Mate said, adding that Slovenia was the main initiator for the resolution of this problem.
All Central and Eastern European newcomers plus Malta and non-EU member Switzerland have applied for full entry into the passport-free zone, while Cyprus has decided to keep some border checks in place.
The Schengen zone currently comprises Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and non-EU members Iceland and Norway.
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