Rome, Jul 31 (EFE).- Italy temporarily suspended the Schengen Agreement with Spain in response to the migration crisis in Ceuta, and announced random checks at airports and seaports on non-European Union citizens arriving from Spain.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on X it “is an extraordinary measure, adopted to safeguard national security and prevent possible repercussions for our Nation.”
According to Meloni, Italy “is ready to support every European initiative to assist Spanish institutions as needed to restore full control of the Union’s external borders.”
Friday’s announcement by the Italian government followed Thursday’s comments announcing the reintroduction of border controls after thousands of migrants from Morocco arrived in the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, located on the African continent.
However, Italy’s decision came after Spanish authorities announced that most of the nearly 50,000 migrants who entered Ceuta had already returned to Morocco.
Checks on non-EU travelers arriving from Spain will take effect on August 1, amid the summer vacation season.
Meloni, in her social media post, specified that the measure will remain in effect “will be kept in force only for the time necessary, with particular attention to limiting any impact on summer tourist flows.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rebuked Italy’s decision and pointed out that the number of irregular entries recorded by Frontex in other countries such as Italy between 2021 and 2026 doubled that of Spain and called for respect for European treaties.
“Solidarity and empathy are optional. Respect for European treaties and data is not,” the prime minister said in a message on X after the Italian government proposed suspending the application of the Schengen Agreement on free movement and linked the crisis in Ceuta to its migration policy.
From Brussels, the European Commission noted that if a member state decides to reinstate border controls with another Schengen country, the decision must be notified to and justified before the European institutions.
Meanwhile, in Italy, opposition parties dismissed the Meloni government’s decision as “propaganda.”
M5S leader and former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attributed this measure to “psychosis” caused by pressure from the rising figure of the Italian far right, General Roberto Vannacci.
The leader of the Democratic Party (PD), Elly Schlein, echoed this sentiment, criticizing Meloni for “trying to follow in Vannacci’s footsteps toward extremism”
“Imagine what would have happened if other European countries had done the same to us when, in 2023, during her administration, irregular arrivals totaled 158,000. Suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain sets a dangerous precedent for Europe, but it is especially dangerous for our country,” warned Schlein. EFE
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