Italy extended border checks for 15 days, first introduced after the migration crisis in Ceuta, and said it is ready to review the measures soon.
The Italian Ministry of the Interior said on Monday that the initial assessment that justified the checks on August 1 remains valid. At the same time, the ministry noted the “initiatives already taken by Spain together with the European Union to return the situation in this area to normal as soon as possible”.
Political motives and Spain’s reaction
In response, the Spanish government also extended border controls for two weeks—until September 21, its spokesman reported. Although Italy and Spain do not share a land border, the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni introduced these checks after tens of thousands of migrants entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco.
This move was widely seen as a political maneuver aimed at reassuring Meloni’s electorate and demonstrating her tough stance on migration. It came amid a sharp rise in support for the ultra‑nationalist National Future party in polls ahead of elections scheduled for next year.
Although Ceuta is formally part of the Schengen free‑movement zone, Spanish authorities require document checks for further travel to other European Union countries. Italy, however, insists that the checks were based on security assessments, not political motives.
Giorgia Meloni, a right‑wing politician, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a socialist, have frequently clashed over migration policy and other issues.
According to Bloomberg
