Italy and Spain extend mutual border controls for another 15 days

Italy and Spain have extended border controls between their travelers for another 15 days, keeping in place measures introduced after a migration crisis in Ceuta.

Italy said the extension reflected the continued relevance of the factors that led it to introduce the controls on August 1. It also pointed to initiatives Spain had begun with the European Union that could help normalize the situation in the region.

Spain’s Interior Ministry introduced checks on travelers arriving from Italy on August 8 for one month and responded with its own 15-day extension. The measures mean that air passengers must undergo passport checks, despite both countries belonging to the Schengen area, where such controls are normally absent.

Ceuta is outside the Schengen zone, and travelers continuing to mainland Spain must pass through border control. More than 70,000 irregular migrants arrived in Ceuta from Morocco on July 30 and 31. Most returned to Morocco within hours, but thousands remained in Ceuta, moving through the city and sleeping on beaches.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was among European Union leaders who called for suspending Spain’s participation in the Schengen area. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the migrant influx remained under investigation but rejected any responsibility by Moroccan authorities.

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related to the continued relevance of the factors assessed that led to the introduction of these control measures on August 1.