The decision on whether or not to reopen air and sea borders with Spain should come on Monday, August 31. Indeed, the month-long suspension of the Schengen agreement expires, which from August 1 led to the reinstatement of controls at ports and airports for passengers arriving from the country. The decision was made after 72 people reached the Spanish exclave from Morocco by sea.
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But in recent days, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has emphasized that the situation in Ceuta “is far from improved.” The head of the Interior Ministry described a still “complicated” picture. He spoke of an alert from Spanish intelligence agencies regarding “possible subjects with a jihadist characterization.” Words that suggest a possible extension of the measure. “We will make a calm assessment,” the minister assured, announcing that “the final decision” will be made “on the same day” of the expiration, that is, August 31.
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Media, Italy towards a one-month extension of border controls with Spain
The extension should be two weeks, although in recent days the newspaper La Vanguardia reported that Italy is preparing to extend border controls for passengers arriving by air and sea from Spain by at least another month. The measure, according to the communication previously sent by the European Commission, expires on August 31. Among the reasons under consideration are “a worsening of the situation in Ceuta” and possible “terrorism risks.” However, the latter element was not present in the communication with which Rome had notified the introduction of controls. According to government sources cited, “already by mid-August the possibility of an extension had begun to circulate among government members,” despite the border controls so far not having yielded significant results: few people in irregular situations have been identified and “none coming from Ceuta.”
The hypothesis
One of the hypotheses on the table, it is noted, is to coincide the end of controls with September 6, the date until which Spain has decided to maintain its measures adopted in response to the Italian ones. However, Madrid could in turn extend them.
