Brussels, 18/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - Countries which joined the EU in 2004 may be able to join the border control-free Schengen Area before the scheduled date of 31 December 2007, explained EU Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini on Tuesday. Speaking after a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels on Tuesday, Frattini said he hoped they could join before Christmas as this would send an excellent message for the EU's visibility. There are currently 15 countries in the Schengen Area (Norway, Iceland and the old 15 EU member states apart from the United Kingdom and Ireland). Early in November, the Schengen members are expected to decide to lift border controls with nine of the ten member states which joined the EU in 2004 (Cyprus will not be included). The timetable foresees the actual lifting of controls happening at the end of December 2007. Border controls at international airports will be lifted in March 2008 (see EUROPE 9444).
In their efforts to prepare to join the Schengen Area, Malta and the eight new member states from central and Eastern Europe all managed to connect up with the Schengen police database (known as the Schengen Information System, SIS) and they now need to make the final tests of the security of border crossings. Close sources suggest that the final assessments showed that although it has made huge progress, Slovakia is still facing problems, as is Poland. A complicated issue has also arisen due to a special preference scheme for Croatians who only need an identity card to travel to Italy, Slovenia and Hungary, but this is being challenged by several other member states for security reasons. Commissioner Frattini said the question had already been settled. Croatian nationals will now have to have an extra document with them when they travel (not a passport) in order to be allowed to cross the border into neighbouring countries in the Schengen Area. (bc)