The Government has agreed to extend the border controls for another 15 days for passengers arriving by sea or air from Italy to Spanish territory, in response to the decision of Giorgia Meloni's Executive to maintain the suspension of the Schengen agreement with Spain due to the Ceuta crisis, as communicated by the Ministry of the Interior.
These controls were implemented on August 8 with an initial validity of one month and will now be extended for another 15 days, after the Italian Government approved this Monday a new extension, for the same period, of the suspension of the Schengen area of free movement.
Thus, Italy will continue to apply border controls to travelers coming from Spain, amid a diplomatic conflict between Madrid and Rome over the management of the massive arrival of migrants to Ceuta on July 30.
According to the Italian agency ADN Kronos, the Italian Ministry of the Interior has adopted this measure, which it will notify shortly to the European Union (EU), as required by the regulations since it is an exceptional decision within the framework of free movement in Europe.
The resolution has been communicated by the Italian Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, to his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, during a "constructive telephone conversation," according to the aforementioned agency, which details that Rome bases its position on the analysis conducted by the Immigration and Border Security Analysis Committee.
For the Italian authorities, the factors that motivated the reintroduction, on August 1, of border controls for flights and ships coming from Spain are still present, although they take into account "the initiatives already undertaken by Spain, together with the European Union, to ensure that the situation in that area can move towards a forthcoming normalization."
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, referred this Monday to these controls, emphasizing that they make "no sense." In an interview on Cadena Ser, reported by Europa Press, he recalled that Spain provided support to Italy in the reception of immigrants arriving on the island of Lampedusa and insisted on the need to strengthen solidarity.
Sánchez has also criticized the letter signed by 22 European leaders, including Meloni, questioning the immigration policy of the Spanish Executive, and has reiterated that he has always defended that the frontline states facing the arrival of irregular migration, such as Spain and Italy, require "the solidarity of the Central European and Northern European countries."
In response to the decision of Rome, the Spanish Government also agreed to reciprocally restore Schengen controls for travelers arriving from Italy until next September 7. Sources from the Executive had pointed out that the measure could be lifted earlier if the Italian authorities did the same, something that has ultimately not occurred.