The Slovenian Ministry of the Interior has informed the European Commission on easier border controls between Slovenia and Croatia during the summer season.

The new regulations on the systematic monitoring of all passengers crossing external borders of the Schengen area started on the 7th of April this year as a response to the terrorist attacks in Europe. Over the past few months the implementation of these regulations, especially during Easter holidays, led to large traffic jams and long tailbacks at both sides of Slovenian-Croatian border crossings.

Therefore, the Slovenian Interior Ministry has notified the EU Commission on possible deviation from the systematic monitoring and switch to the targeted passenger control in order to facilitate an entry of tourists on their way to destinations in Croatia until the 30th of September.

Slovenia has also defined border crossings where such monitoring will be carried out with the fulfilment of all the necessary criteria, when certain circumstances occur.

According to the Slovenian police, this kind of easier control has already been carried out at some of the crossings in cases of very heavy traffic, i.e. when the systematic control is required only for certain categories of passengers (non-EU citizens, third country nationals).

The Slovenian police also added that the possibility of monitoring passengers only on their entry from Croatia into Slovenia, and not vice versa as it is the case now, would come into force when Croatia enters the Schengen Information System (SIS) at the end of this month.

After Croatia’s access to the SIS on the 27th of June, the control will be easier for the Slovenian border police because the police of both countries will be able to easily carry out targeted control of the EU citizens; Slovenia will control them on their entry from Italy and Austria, whilst the Croatian police will control them on their entry from Slovenia to Croatia.