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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Conflict & Security

Italy Extends Suspension of Schengen Travel Arrangement with Spain

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Official statement Ongoing story
  • Italy will extend its suspension of Schengen free movement with Spain for at least 15 more days, citing the continued factors behind the measure.
  • The decision follows a migrant influx into Spain’s Ceuta enclave in which dozens died and thousands crossed the barrier.
  • Spain has reportedly extended its own controls on travelers arriving from Italy, while Pedro Sánchez blamed disinformation and criminal trafficking networks for worsening the crisis.

Italy is extending its suspension of the Schengen free-movement arrangement with Spain for at least another 15 days, keeping border restrictions in place after the migrant crisis in Ceuta.

Rome first suspended the arrangement for a month beginning July 31, after tens of thousands of migrants crossed into the Spanish territory. Dozens died during the incident, which triggered a European Union migration emergency and drew criticism of Spain’s leftist government from Italy.

the persistence of the factors that had led to the reintroduction of the measures on Aug. 1

— Italy’s Interior MinistryThe ministry’s stated reason for extending the suspension of free movement with Spain.

Italy’s Interior Ministry said the extension reflected “the persistence of the factors that had led to the reintroduction of the measures on Aug. 1.” It did not specify those factors, but said Rome recognized steps Spain and the European Union had taken to restore conditions in the area.

The move came even though nearly all of the roughly 70,000 people who crossed the barrier had returned to Morocco in the days afterward. Spain responded to Italy’s suspension with controls on passengers arriving from Italy and reportedly decided Monday to extend them by 15 days, creating an apparent reciprocal escalation.

to attack and divide not only Spain but also Europe

— Pedro SánchezSánchez’s characterization of the alleged disinformation campaign surrounding the border crisis.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said an “international far-right movement” linked to Russia and Israel had used social media disinformation to help create the border incident. He said a July 8 Supreme Court ruling had been distorted through fake news, disinformation and criminal organizations involved in human trafficking. Sánchez said the campaign sought “to attack and divide not only Spain but also Europe,” while adding that there was no evidence Moroccan authorities were responsible.

Sánchez said about 5,000 migrants remained in Ceuta, including at least 1,200 minors. Spain has asked Frontex for help processing them as protests by local residents have intensified. The enclave is bordered by Morocco and the sea, leaving asylum seekers without direct access to mainland EU territory.

What we know so far is that a ruling by the Supreme Court of July 8 was distorted, which was spread on social networks through fake news, disinformation and also by criminal organizations that traffic in people

— Pedro SánchezThe prime minister’s explanation of how misinformation contributed to the incident.
About this summary

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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