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Italy suspends Schengen travel with Spain for a month over Ceuta crisis
The suspension is set to apply to travel by plane or boat between the two countries, requiring passports, while Italy also plans tighter checks on the Franco-Italian land border.
Italy has suspended the EU Schengen border free-travel arrangements with Spain for one month, citing a surge of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighboring Morocco, according to Reuters. While Italy does not share a land border with Spain, the interior ministry said the measure will affect travelers between the countries, including those flying or traveling by boat, with access requiring passport checks. Italy also agreed with Paris to strengthen controls along the Franco-Italian land border to deter any undocumented migrants from crossing, the report said. Critics of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government described the step as largely symbolic, noting they said there is no evidence the migrants in Ceuta planned to travel to Italy. The decision followed Spain’s claim that it had reversed the rush of migrants into Ceuta, with most of the more than 50,000 people who crossed reportedly returning voluntarily.