The Italian Government has decided to extend for another 15 days border controls at ports and airports for travellers arriving from Spain, a measure initially introduced on 1 August following the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta from Morocco.
Italy’s Interior Ministry has justified the extension on the grounds that the circumstances that prompted the temporary reintroduction of border controls persist. The decision has been formally notified to both the European Union and the Spanish Government. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has also informed his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, of the decision.
The measure temporarily maintains restrictions on the normal application of the Schengen area for connections arriving from Spain and extends an exceptional situation that Rome initially linked to national security concerns arising from the migration crisis in Ceuta.
In response, Spain has also decided to extend for another 15 days border controls on passengers arriving by air or sea from Italy. The Spanish controls were introduced on 8 August and were initially scheduled to remain in place until 7 September.
The decision therefore maintains the reciprocal border controls between the two countries, in a new episode of tension over the management of migration flows within the Schengen area.