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The Italian government on Friday imposed border checks with Spain in response to an influx of tens of thousands of migrants in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta.
The move will impact flights and maritime transport and temporarily suspends Spain’s Schengen border-free rights, an agreement that allows citizens of European member states to move freely among 29 countries.
These air and sea border controls will remain in place for August, according to Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has promised to cut down on illegal immigration, called the decision an “extraordinary measure” that was taken to safeguard the country’s national security.
“The measure will be kept in force only for the time necessary, with particular attention to limiting any impact on summer tourist flows,” Meloni wrote Friday on social media.
“In parallel, Italy is ready to support every European initiative to assist Spanish institutions as needed to restore full control of the Union’s external borders and to address the ongoing situation with determination,” the prime minister continued. “Defending borders means defending the safety of citizens, combating irregular immigration, and striking at the criminal networks that traffic human beings.”
Tens of thousands of migrants crossed into the North African peninsula this week from Morocco after the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea during their attempt to reach Ceuta or another Spanish enclave, Melilla, cannot be returned to Morocco.
Spanish officials said Friday evening that more than 48,000 people had voluntarily returned to Morocco.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the situation in Ceuta “unacceptable” on Friday and said she appointed two commissioners to oversee the response to the crisis.
“We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules,” she wrote on social media. “Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow.”
Magnus Brunner, the EU commissioner tasked with overseeing the response in Spain, said Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares informed him Friday that “practically all” of the migrants who entered Ceuta “have returned.”
“Not a single person has crossed to mainland EU,” Brunner wrote on social media. “We will remain in close contact and are in touch with ministers across Europe.”
In a separate post, Albares assured that the Schengen Area’s security is “absolutely guaranteed.”
“Enough of this deliberate confusion,” he added.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also emphasized the country’s control over the situation and criticized Italy’s temporary revocation of its Schengen rights.
“Solidarity and empathy are optional,” Sánchez wrote on social media. “Respect for European treaties and data is not. … This is not the time to divide. It is the time to continue building a strong and united EU.”
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