National visa system support project presented

Assistant Foreign and European Affairs Minister Andreja Metelko-Zgombić, Päivi Blinnikka from the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Maja Teider from MFEA presented the “twinning light” component of the national visa system support project

Assistant Foreign and European Affairs Minister Andreja Metelko-Zgombić, Päivi Blinnikka from the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Maja Teider from MFEA presented the “twinning light” component of the national visa system support project, co-financed by the EU. Total allocation for the project, including procurement, is EUR 1,340,000.

The project will enable further alignment of Croatia’s visa system with Schengen and EU standards. It also includes teaching heads of consular offices in which the highest numbers of visas are issued, such as Moscow, Kiev, Istanbul and Pristina, about recognising forged documents.

Fifteen embassies will be equipped with the latest forgery detecting devices, while Croatian border crossings on the European Union's external borders will be additionally equipped with optical readers and fingerprinting devices.

Croatia has 73 embassies and consular offices around the world and they must be adjusted to Schengen standards, notably those in third countries. The alignment of Croatia's visa system with the European visa policy saw an increase in visa applications. Last year 18,372 were submitted, while from January through September this year there was almost six times more of them, 105,148.

It is estimated that Croatian embassies will issue about 140,000-150,000 visas annually. It is therefore imperative that consular staff be properly trained to handle visa issuance procedure in accordance with Schengen standards. Today’s twinning light project worth EUR 250,000, led by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is an important step forward in Croatia’s preparations for Schengen.

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