Italy Suspends Schengen Agreement with Spain for One Month
At a glance
- Italy has temporarily suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain for one month.
- The measure requires passports for travel between the two countries by plane or boat.
- Italy also agreed with France to strengthen controls along their shared land border.
Story so far
Italy announced a temporary suspension of its Schengen agreement with Spain, citing security concerns and the need to defend European borders following a significant influx of migrants into Spain's Ceuta enclave. The measure, now confirmed for one month, requires passports for travel between the two countries by air or sea. Spain had previously deployed troops and increased police presence in Ceuta to manage the situation, with many migrants voluntarily returning.
Latest development
Italy has confirmed its temporary suspension of the Schengen agreement with Spain will last for one month, impacting plane and boat travel by requiring passports. The nation has also agreed with France to bolster controls along their shared land border to manage migrant flows.
Latest updates
Italy has specified that its temporary suspension of the Schengen agreement with Spain will last for one month. This measure will require passengers travelling by plane or boat between the two countries to present a passport. Additionally, Italy has reached an agreement with France to enhance controls along their shared land border to prevent undocumented migrants from crossing. The decision to halt the Schengen pact was made after Spain had already reported reversing the rush of migrants into its Ceuta enclave, with most of the more than 50,000 individuals who had crossed the border voluntarily returning.
Critics of the Italian government have described the move as a symbolic and demagogic proposal, primarily aimed at a domestic political audience and designed to compete with far-right rhetoric, without offering a substantive solution to the migration issue. The Italian interior ministry clarified that border police would conduct "targeted, selective checks" on third-country nationals arriving from Spain to verify their necessary travel documents within the European Union.
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