Spain has reinstated border checks on flights arriving from Italy due to ongoing disputes regarding migration
Spain has reinstated border checks on flights from Italy due to a disagreement regarding irregular migration and border regulations.
Spanish authorities conducted checks on 199 passengers arriving on 12 flights from Italy on the initial day of the new measures, as reported by the country’s Interior Ministry.
The checks took place at six major airports: Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia, amid ongoing tensions between Spain and Italy regarding migration and border management.
Madrid announced on Friday that controls on flights and maritime routes arriving from Italy would continue until September 7.
The decision followed Italy’s suspension of the Schengen free-movement arrangement with Spain starting August 1, due to concerns regarding a significant influx of migrants into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta on July 30.
Italian authorities announced that the restrictions would mainly focus on non-EU nationals traveling from Spain by air or sea, while Spanish citizens and other European Union nationals would remain unaffected.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that Rome aims to lift the temporary measures once authorities conclude that the security concerns have diminished.
“We anticipate that the suspension will be lifted soon, as soon as the situation is deemed no longer a risk,” Tajani stated to Italy’s Corriere della Sera.
The dispute has sparked new inquiries regarding the future of passport-free movement across Europe.
The Schengen Area encompasses 29 countries and typically permits individuals to move between member states without regular internal border inspections.
Countries within the zone may temporarily reinstate border controls when they deem it necessary to tackle security threats or issues related to public order.
