The Italian Executive has decided this Friday to provisionally interrupt the application of the Schengen agreement with Spain and reestablish controls at its border crossings, as a direct reaction to the increase in irregular arrivals recorded in Ceuta. Rome justifies this move as essential to "safeguard national security."
"The Government has decided to temporarily suspend the free movement regime provided by Schengen at the maritime and air borders with Spain, reintroducing border controls," indicated the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, on social media.
The Italian leader emphasized that "this is an extraordinary measure" adopted by Rome "to safeguard national security" and curb "possible repercussions" for the transalpine country. "The measure will remain in effect only for as long as necessary, with special attention to limiting any impact on summer tourist flows," she declared.
In the same vein, Meloni insisted that Italy "is ready to support any European initiative to back Spanish institutions that is necessary to restore full control of the Union's external borders and face the ongoing situation with determination."
"Defending the borders means defending the security of citizens, combating irregular immigration, and striking at the criminal networks that traffic in human beings," concluded the head of the Italian Government.
The Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, has publicly supported the decision and defended that the temporary suspension "is a necessary choice to protect the security" of the Italian population and "defend the European borders, a measure provided for by treaties and which today becomes unavoidable."
Tajani emphasized, regarding the situation in Ceuta, that "the management of the Union's borders is a shared responsibility." "It is necessary to work together to prevent uncontrolled flows of migrants from entering EU territory, with all the consequent risks and the threat of terrorism, which must be fought without hesitation," he said.
After a meeting of the Committee for Analysis on Immigration and Border Security at the Ministry of the Interior, chaired by Matteo Piantedosi, the re-establishment of controls at customs has been ordered. The Interior Minister himself has explained on social media that the measure "will remain in effect for one month starting from August 1," with the option for extension, according to the Italian agency Adnkronos.
Piantedosi has detailed that the decision was made after talking with his French counterpart, Laurent Nuñez, with whom he has agreed to strengthen surveillance at the land border between France and Italy, relying on existing bilateral agreements between Paris and Rome.
According to the same sources, the new controls will not mean changes for Italian, Spanish, or other Schengen area citizens traveling to Italy, and will be directed only at nationals of third countries entering from Spanish territory.
The announcement comes in a context of strong diplomatic tension between Madrid and Rome due to the migration crisis in Ceuta, where around 60,000 people crossed the border irregularly on Thursday, although most would have returned to Morocco throughout Friday.
In this scenario, Meloni had already anticipated on Thursday that Italy was considering closing the Schengen area with Spain, which in practice implies reinforced controls at the border, in response to what happened in the autonomous city. The proposal has received support from some European governments, including Austria, Finland, and Denmark, while France has opted to increase police presence and controls at its border.
The reaction from Spain came at the end of Thursday with the summoning of the Italian ambassador in Madrid, Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi, after the Spanish Government described the initiative from Rome as something "inappropriate" for a "partner and friend country from which we expect European solidarity and not partisan demagoguery."
This Friday, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has responded to the criticisms from Meloni's Executive by reminding that "solidarity and empathy are optional" but "respect for European treaties and data is not."
In a message disseminated on social media, Sánchez has provided the figures of irregular immigrant entries collected by Frontex between 2021 and 2026, highlighting that Italy records more than double the arrivals than Spain.