The automated European Entry/Exit System (EES) has denied entry to Croatia to more than 5,000 people since its initial implementation, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said on Monday. Croatia, he stated, has no problems with the new system as it had prepared for it in good time.
"We are one of the countries that introduced the new system first," Božinović said, describing it as a "huge leap forward" and a "direct contribution to the security of European citizens," Index.hr reports.
The system, whose implementation began in April, records fingerprints and photographs of passengers at border crossings. At the European Union level, around 110 million passengers have been registered so far, with more than 50,000 people denied entry for security reasons. Approximately one in ten refusals of entry into the Union relates to Croatian borders.
Some member states are nonetheless seeking a relaxation of the rules. Nine countries — Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland — have asked the European Commission to extend the possibility of temporarily suspending biometric checks. Current rules allow for these checks to be briefly suspended when large queues form at crossings, but this provision expires on 6 September. The nine countries wish to retain the exemption during the peak of the tourist season, when they expect the greatest pressure on borders.
The EES is the first step in a wider border control reform: the next system is ETIAS, an electronic travel authorisation, the start of which has been postponed from autumn 2026 to early 2027. The authorisation will cost 20 euros and will be valid for three years.
