Italy extends suspension of Schengen with Spain for 15 days

Italy has extended the suspension of the Schengen Agreement with Spain for a further 15 days over last month's Ceuta migration crisis, according to reports on Monday.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has decided to extend the Schengen suspension with Madrid for an additional 15 days as part of a measure introduced on Aug. 1 after dozens of people irregularly crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, ANSA news agency reported.

Citing a source, the report noted that the extension concerns the reintroduction of air and sea border controls for travelers arriving from Spain.

Following Rome's initial suspension decision on Aug. 1, Spain retaliated with random checks on travelers arriving from Italy.

Italy's foreign minister hailed the government's decision to extend the suspension.

"The decision, in application of the same Schengen rules, is provisional and motivated by the need to ensure the security of Italian and European borders," Antonio Tajani wrote on US social media platform X.

He said that Italy will continue to work with all EU member states, in a spirit of collaboration also with Spain, with the aim of countering illegal immigration and instead promoting controlled and regular migratory flows.

In retaliation, the Spanish government said it decided to extend border controls on arrivals from Italy, according to daily El Pais.

Around 72,000 people irregularly crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30-31, according to the Spanish government's official estimate.

The unprecedented influx briefly brought the number of migrants in the enclave to almost its entire population.

The crisis triggered sharp criticism of Madrid from other European governments. A group of 22 EU countries signed an open letter saying Spain's relatively open migration policies had acted as a "pull factor."