The executives of Spain and Italy have decided to put an end to the reciprocal controls at the internal borders, in effect since the Government of Georgia Meloni opted to apply this measure in reaction to the crisis in Ceuta, triggered by the irregular entry of thousands of migrants from Morocco at the end of July.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the determination not to extend these controls over time, "made after a thorough analysis of the situation," "will be accompanied by a reinforcement of information exchange to guarantee the full security of the common Schengen area."
This understanding has been reached after a telephone conversation between the interior ministers of Spain and Italy, Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Matteo Piantedosi, arranged after the meeting held on the sidelines of the European Council between the heads of government of both countries, Pedro Sánchez and Giorgia Meloni.
At the last summit of European Union leaders held in Brussels, Sánchez and Meloni came closer together with the aim of eliminating the Schengen controls that Italy had reintroduced at the beginning of August, just a few days after the arrival of more than 70,000 people in the autonomous city.
Both presidents tasked their interior ministers on Friday, October 16, to finalize this commitment within a week. While progress was being made in that negotiation, Italy chose to extend the controls at ports and airports for passengers coming from Spain for an additional seven days, which prompted an equivalent measure by Pedro Sánchez's government for travelers arriving from Italy.
In response to Rome, the Spanish government had been periodically renewing the temporary reestablishment of controls at the internal air and maritime borders regarding flights and maritime connections for passengers coming from the Italian Republic.
Italian sources cited by Europa Press indicated that the interior officials of both countries were going to collaborate to "jointly assess substitute cooperation measures," while from the Spanish side it was emphasized that the goal was "to proceed with the elimination" of the controls.
Although the Schengen Code contemplates the possibility of reintroducing border controls between member States, the European Commission has reiterated that it should be a "last resort" measure and has called on governments to prioritize alternative solutions that reinforce surveillance without suspending free movement.
Among the substitute formulas that Brussels has proposed on other occasions to countries that maintain controls almost permanently, such as Germany, Austria, or France, are the strengthening of joint police operations for non-systematic controls, the increase in information exchange, and a more intensive use of technology, for example through mobile biometric identification systems or vehicle tracking tools.