Italy extends border checks with Spain for another 15 days

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said Tuesday that Italy has extended checks at air and sea borders with Spain for another 15 days, according to the ANSA news agency.

Piantedosi announced the extension in a statement to the European Commission and his EU counterparts, saying the measure is necessary due to a continued risk of terrorist infiltration.

Italy's Interior Ministry said the extension was necessary after a review by the Committee for the Analysis of Immigration and Border Security, which met Tuesday, according to RTVE.

It said "high risks to internal security persist, as well as a possible threat of terrorist infiltration."

Spain has also extended checks on travelers from Italy at ports and airports until Oct. 8, Spanish news agency EFE reported, citing sources from the Spanish Interior Ministry.

The Spanish government said the circumstances that led to the introduction of the measure remain unchanged and extended the checks to Oct. 8, noting that it could be modified if the circumstances change.

Madrid initially introduced the checks Aug. 8 in response to the Italian measure.

They were introduced for one month and later extended to Sept. 23.

The measures were reintroduced after Italy suspended the Schengen free-movement arrangements with Spain, and introduced checks on non-EU citizens traveling by air or sea between the two countries.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares criticized Italy's decision Tuesday, calling the measures "absurd, useless and a disgrace."

He said there was no threat to the integrity of the Schengen Area from Ceuta and Melilla, and accused the Italian government of acting for domestic political reasons.

Albares also said Italy recorded twice as many irregular entries as Spain "at this time," and he noted that Spain offered assistance to Italy during a surge in irregular migration in 2023.