Italy’s government announced a 15-day extension to the suspension of the Schengen agreement with Spain after the mass influx of at least 72,000 migrants from Morocco entered the Spanish territory of Ceuta last month.
According to a statement from the Interior Ministry “the government is in the process of notifying the EU of the extension, for a further 15 days, of checks at air and sea borders with Spain.”
“The considerations behind the extension measure were set out by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, during a constructive phone conversation,” the statement said.
Border checks for travellers arriving from Spain were due to expire on 31 August but in recent days Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi had explained that the situation in the Spanish exclave remains critical, with between 5,000-10,000 irregular migrants stil in the city, causing serious tensions with locals.
“The situation in Ceuta is anything but improved. We will make a calm assessment and we will reflect on the final decision on the very day the measure expires, which will be 31 August,” said the Interior Minister in an interview with the news programme TG1.
Piantedosi had reiterated that there is no desire for a clash with Madrid and that the checks have concerned only third-country nationals, with no impact on Italians, Spaniards or other Europeans.
In recent days, Spain’s Foreign Minister Manuel Albares has described the Italian government’s move as “an unjustified and unjustifiable affront to the dignity of Spaniards”, motivated solely by electoral considerations.