Italy extends surveillance on arrivals from Spain; Madrid responds in kind

Italy announced yesterday that it would extend border surveillance measures for travelers arriving from Spain by an additional 15 days, prompting Madrid to extend similar measures against arrivals from Italy in the latest development in the dispute between the two European Union member states.

The diplomatic dispute began on August 1, when Italy’s Ministry of the Interior imposed temporary measures following the influx of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa during July.

Rome’s one-month suspension of the free movement provisions under the Schengen Agreement with Spain drew condemnation from Madrid and other EU countries, and led Spanish authorities to impose similar restrictions on travelers arriving from Italy.

Italy’s Ministry of the Interior said on Tuesday that the extension of the measures was decided based on assessments conducted by a border security committee.

It added that “high risks to internal security remain, alongside potential risks related to the possible infiltration of terrorists.”

For its part, Spain’s Ministry of the Interior announced that the controls on arrivals from Italy, which began on August 8, would continue until October 8, clarifying that the reasons for their imposition “have not changed.”

It added in a statement that “a change in these circumstances may justify adjusting the scheduled timeline.”

Italy and Spain do not share a land border, so the surveillance measures are applied at airports and ports receiving air and sea flights from the other country.

The Schengen Area comprises 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders.