Italy, Spain lift border controls brought in after Ceuta migrant rush
The two governments will replace the checks with enhanced information-sharing after more than 70,000 people crossed illegally into Ceuta, officials said.
- On Friday, Italy and Spain agreed to lift border controls on each other's citizens, ending a three-month suspension of open-border Schengen rules triggered by a migrant surge into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
- Italy initially suspended Schengen arrangements on July 31 to prevent migrants from Ceuta traveling into its territory, where more than 70,000 people crossed illegally from Morocco.
- Madrid responded with reciprocal checks on travelers from Italy, with Spanish Foreign Minister Jos Manuel Albares calling the Italian measures "absurd" and "a disgrace" to the European Union.
- Interior ministers Matteo Piantedosi and Fernando Grande-Marlaska finalized the agreement through a phone call, with the decision "reached after a careful assessment of the situation" and accompanied by enhanced information-sharing measures.
- Last week, Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni and Pedro signaled their intention to end the checks at the European Council, resolving the political saga that followed the massive border breach in Ceuta.
109 Articles
109 Articles
Madrid imposed reciprocal restrictions after Rome introduced checks on Aug. 1 following mass migrant arrivals in Spanish enclave
Spain and Italy decided not to extend the mutual border controls, which were introduced after Rome expressed dissatisfaction with the influx of tens of thousands of migrants into the Spanish city of Ceutu from Morocco this summer, reporting to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. "Spain agreed with Italy to abolish border controls", said the agency's communication published on social network X following a telephone conversation b…
The migration crisis in Ceuta led Italy to apply border controls to Spain, a measure that was retaliated by the country governed by Pedro Sánchez. Now, after almost three months, the two countries reach agreement and lift controls.
Italy and Spain agreed on Thursday to eliminate the mutual border controls introduced following the migration crisis in Ceuta, where more than 80,000 migrants entered Morocco at the end of July. The decision comes after months of diplomatic tensions between Rome and Madrid, marked by mutual accusations and the temporary suspension of free movement for certain air and maritime links. The two governments instead decided to strengthen the exchange …
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