Italy has decided to extend the temporary controls at Italian airports and ports for passengers coming from Spain by 15 more days. This was announced by the Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, in a brief statement in which it is affirmed that “high levels of risk to internal security persist, as well as a possible danger related to potential terrorist infiltrations,” according to the conclusions of the Immigration and Border Security Analysis Committee, which met on Tuesday in Rome.
Read more Intocable, the soundtrack of Mexico’s Independence in a mystical month for the band
The decision thus extends to two months the temporary suspension of the Schengen agreement with Spain, since the controls were imposed on August 1, following the massive arrival of migrants in Ceuta on July 30 and 31. The Spanish government then responded to that decision by imposing controls at Spanish borders, which it has now extended for another fifteen days in response to the latest Italian decision.
Spain has communicated this to the European Union, announcing that the controls will remain in place at those airports and ports that maintain direct connections between Spain and Italy. These controls were reintroduced by Spain on August 8 and extended for the first time until September 23. The government considers that the circumstances that motivated the adoption of this measure remain, so it has decided to prolong it until October 8, without prejudice to the fact that a change in these circumstances may advise a modification of the planned deadline.
In August, Matteo Piantedosi justified the temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain by arguing that the extraordinary arrival of migrants in Ceuta had created a situation that could affect other European countries. He also presented the suspension as a “precautionary and organizational” measure aimed at protecting the security of Italy and Europe and not as a decision against Spain, as he declared in mid-August before the Schengen Parliamentary Committee when explaining why he intended to extend the measure then.
In an interview on September 10 in the newspaper La Stampa, the minister assured that “Spain is a friendly country. We have a constant and constructive relationship with Madrid.” Asked whether he would extend the controls beyond September 15, he said that “if the measures adopted by Spain together with the European Union produce the effects we expect, we can soon return to normality. No one has an interest in maintaining controls a day longer than necessary.” Five days later, it seems clear that Italy still thinks that what happened in Ceuta represents a danger to Italy, although judging by the numbers the minister himself has provided, it is difficult to understand exactly where the danger lies.
In the same interview, Piantedosi said that in these months more than 180,000 people had been identified, entry had been denied to 42, including nine Moroccan citizens, and eight people had been arrested. He did not specify if any had arrived from Ceuta—which is unlikely considering it is outside the Schengen area—and he also did not link any to terrorism-related crimes.
The original decision by Giorgia Meloni’s government was harshly criticized by the Italian opposition in August, which interpreted it as a power move to appear strong against immigration now that a new party, Futuro Nazionale, led by Roberto Vannacci, shadows it from the right with anti-immigration and markedly racist ideas and proposals.
But the low impact of the controls makes it increasingly difficult to justify their maintenance. At the same time, backing down would also have a political cost as it would mean admitting that a measure presented as fundamental for security was not so, which would make it a target for both the left and Vannacci.
Albares: “It’s absurd”
The Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, harshly criticized the Italian decision on Tuesday to extend the suspension of the Schengen agreement with Spain until October: “It’s absurd, it’s useless, and it’s a shame,” the head of Spanish diplomacy told the press in the Senate. “It is blowing up the spirit, the philosophy, of what it means to be European partners” and “a direct attack on the dignity of Spaniards,” reports Guillermo Abril.
After the announcement of the Italian measure on Tuesday, the Spanish government responded symmetrically, with the decision to also extend the suspension until October of controls at ports and airports for travelers coming from Italy, according to sources from the Ministry of the Interior, as reported by Efe.
Albares recalled when in 2023 Spain hosted migrants from the Italian island of Lampedusa, and called for greater “solidarity” among EU members. “Europe cannot exist without solidarity,” he assured.
