The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has communicated this Saturday to various institutions of the European Union (EU) the decision of the Government to reintroduce border controls at airports and ports with direct links between the Kingdom of Spain and the Italian Republic, as detailed by the Ministry in a note.
The notification has been addressed to the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Henna Virkkunen; to the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner; to the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and to the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers of Interior of the Member States of the European Union and of the States associated with Schengen, Thérèse Blanchet.
In the document sent, Grande-Marlaska indicates that the Spanish authorities are closely monitoring the evolution of the migratory situation in the Schengen area and, specifically, the migratory pressure that is being recorded on the central Mediterranean route affecting the Italian Republic and other Member States, as a consequence of the actions of cross-border crime networks linked to irregular migration.
In light of the potential consequences of this scenario for public order and internal security, Spain has opted to temporarily reintroduce controls at certain internal border crossings, under the provisions of Articles 25 and following of Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of March 9, 2016, which establishes the so-called Schengen Borders Code.
In the communication, Grande-Marlaska details that, in accordance with Article 27 of the aforementioned Regulation, the temporary recovery of border controls will apply to air and maritime connections between the Kingdom of Spain and the Italian Republic from 00:00 hours on August 8 until 00:00 hours on September 7.
This period may be adjusted depending on how the circumstances that have motivated the measure evolve and, once it concludes, the Spanish authorities will carry out a new assessment of the situation to determine whether it is appropriate to maintain it, modify it, or render it ineffective, as the minister concludes.