Italy extends Schengen border controls with Spain for 15 days

ROME, Aug 31: Italy has extended the temporary suspension of the Schengen Agreement with Spain for another 15 days following last month’s migration crisis in Ceuta, reports said Monday.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government decided to prolong the measure, originally introduced on August 1 after a large influx of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave, ANSA reported.

The extension involves the reintroduction of air and sea border controls on travelers arriving in Italy from Spain.

Spain responded to Italy’s initial decision by introducing random checks on travelers arriving from Italy.

According to the Spanish government, around 72,000 people irregularly crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30 and 31, briefly pushing the number of migrants in the enclave close to its total resident population.

The unprecedented influx sparked criticism from several European governments. Twenty-two EU countries signed an open letter arguing that Spain’s relatively open migration policies had contributed to the influx by acting as a “pull factor.”