Italy and Spain have agreed not to extend temporary reciprocal border checks on air and sea arrivals, restoring normal Schengen arrangements between the two countries once the current measures expire. The decision will remove additional checks for passengers travelling between Italian and Spanish airports and ports, where the controls were introduced after a migration crisis involving Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta.
The agreement followed a telephone conversation between Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni and Pedro Sánchez had discussed ending the measures on the margins of the European Council meeting on 15 October.
Italy introduced checks on arrivals from Spain on 1 August, citing security concerns after the Ceuta migration crisis. Spain subsequently imposed reciprocal checks on arrivals from Italy, and both countries renewed the measures several times, temporarily suspending normal free movement under Schengen rules. As Italy and Spain have no shared land border, the controls affected air and maritime routes.
The latest measures were due to expire on 22 or 23 October, depending on the applicable national schedule. Both governments linked the decision to an assessment of the security situation and agreed to strengthen information-sharing as an alternative measure for protecting the Schengen area.