Switzerland has filed an official request to join the Schengen passport-free zone as part of the "SIS I for All" project, Interior Minister Dragutin Mate said on Tuesday. This means that as EU president in the first half of 2008, Slovenia will oversee the evaluation of Switzerland's readiness to enter the Schengen zone.
Speaking after a meeting of EU interior ministers in Luxembourg, Mate stressed that Switzerland's request to join "SIS I for All" project was proof that the new member states had made the right decision when they opted for the alternative project that would allow for the enlargement to begin already at the end of this year.
"Switzerland's official request to join the Schengen information system does not mean that the country will enter the zone together with the 9 new members," Mate said, adding that it would not endanger this year's planned enlargement.
"Instead, it means that Slovenia will get a chance to play a part in the process of evaluation," he explained.
Switzerland is expected to join the Schengen zone in the second half of 2008. The official request that was filed initiates the process and puts Slovenia in charge of the evaluation.
Switzerland decided to join the "SIS I for All" project in May, after it initially planned to wait for the establishment of the second-generation SIS II system, which was delayed due to technical and political reasons.
Meanwhile, interior ministers agreed that preparations for "SIS I for All" were going well in all member states. "All members should be ready by the end of August," Mate said, adding Slovenia would allocate approximately EUR 1m for the equipment necessary to join the system.
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