Spain has decided this Saturday to extend border controls to the airports of Málaga, Sevilla, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia for passengers arriving from Italy, a measure that has already been applied since 00:00 hours at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas and Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
In the coming hours, the reestablishment of these controls will also be gradually extended to the airports of the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.
Among the main Italian airports of origin whose flights are subject to these controls are Fiumicino and Ciampino, in Rome; Malpensa, in Milan; as well as Naples, Venice, and Florence, a list that will be expanded in the coming days.
Regarding Spanish ports, for this Saturday only the arrival of a cruise from Italy to the Cruise Terminal of the Port of Barcelona is scheduled, at night, on which random established controls will also be carried out.
The controls are being carried out by around a hundred agents of the National Police assigned to border posts, who combine these tasks with other functions specific to their specialty.
In the field of air traffic, each flight is supervised by between two and four police officers, depending on the volume of passengers, who check the documentation of between 5% and 10% of travelers.
This translates to an approximate average of 15 passengers subjected to control on medium-sized planes and about 25 people on larger aircraft.
Controls "at the airplane door" and randomly
The Ministry of the Interior detailed this Saturday that border controls on air connections with Italy in Spain are being carried out "at the airplane door," that is, at the exit of the access walkway to the aircraft, without the need to divert the flow of passengers to an external border control area.
Depending on the number of travelers on each flight, the appropriate number of border police is assigned to carry out the checks.
The border agents carry out the controls "randomly, not systematically," on those passengers who are citizens of third countries, with the aim of verifying compliance with the requirements set out in the Schengen Borders Code.
It is sought at all times "the greatest collaboration with passengers and members of the company," so that nationals of Member States are exempt from inspection and a more agile exit of travelers from the aircraft is facilitated.
If doubts arise about compliance with the requirements and a more thorough control over a passenger is necessary, they are accompanied to the border post, where, "discreetly," the appropriate verifications and checks are carried out and, if applicable, the processing of the denial of entry or the corresponding procedure.
All of this is carried out, according to the Interior Ministry, with full respect for the guarantees and rights enshrined in the immigration regulations.
Validity of the measure and communication to the EU
"FROM AUGUST 8 UNTIL SEPTEMBER 7"
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has notified this Saturday to various authorities of the European Union (EU) the Government's decision to restore border controls at those airports and ports that maintain direct connections between the Kingdom of Spain and the Italian Republic.
The communication has been sent 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 Home Affairs of the Member States of the European Union and of the States associated with Schengen, Thérèse Blanchet.
In his letter, 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 recorded on the central Mediterranean route that affects the Italian Republic and its repercussions in various Member States due to the activity of cross-border crime networks linked to irregular migration.
In light of the possible consequences of this scenario for public order and internal security, Spain has opted to temporarily reintroduce controls at certain internal borders, under the protection of Articles 25 and following of Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of March 9, 2016, which regulates the so-called Schengen Border Code.
In the communication, the minister specifies that, in accordance with article 27 of said Regulation, the temporary reintroduction 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 modified depending on how the circumstances that motivate the measure evolve and, once concluded, the Spanish authorities will reassess the situation to decide whether it is necessary to maintain, adjust, or lift the controls, concludes the head of Interior.