Migration Tensions in Ceuta: Italy and Spain Mutually Extend Border Controls

Italy will continue suspending the implementation of the Schengen rules for people traveling from Spain for another 15 days. As a result, border checks will remain in force at Italian airports and ports.

The restriction was first imposed on August 1, following the worsening migration crisis in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave located in North Africa. The new extension period begins on Monday, August 31.

Madrid responded reciprocally to Rome’s decision, also extending border checks for 15 days on travelers arriving in Spain from Italy. Spanish authorities had introduced these checks on August 8, and they were originally scheduled to end on September 7.

Italy’s Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, explained that the measure was extended because serious problems in Ceuta continue to persist.

Piantedosi said that developments were being monitored continuously and that Italy appreciated the efforts undertaken by Spain and the European Union to restore the situation to normal. “I hope this will be the final extension,” he said, stressing Italy’s readiness to cooperate with the Spanish authorities and European institutions.

Meanwhile, tensions in Ceuta have not subsided. Clashes between migrants were reported in the Loma Colmenar area in recent hours. Police sources said the incidents broke out after hundreds of people of Maghrebi origin, sheltered in camps set up along the streets, entered a reception center. Police deployed a large number of officers to bring the situation under control.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that false information was circulating about developments in Ceuta. According to him, Russian and Israeli networks have spread disinformation about the possibility of reaching Ceuta by sea.

Sánchez said the campaign was linked to efforts by the far right to exploit migration as an issue that fuels divisions within Spain and Europe.