On July 31 (local time), Italy informed the European Commission (EC) of the decision to temporarily restore border control over Spain for a maximum of 30 days, a diplomatic source in Brussels informed TASS news agency.
According to sources, the decision was made under the mechanism of the Schengen Agreement, which allows member states to temporarily re-apply intra-bloc border control in some special cases related to security, public order or other emergencies.
Previously, on July 30, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni called for the suspension of Spain from the Schengen area of the European Union. This statement was made after thousands of immigrants flooded into the Ceuta territory of Spain, bordering Morocco.
Because Italy and Spain do not share a land border, the restoration of control will apply to passengers arriving in Italy from Spain by air and sea.
To date, the Italian Government has not announced more information about the control measures to be implemented at airports and seaports receiving passengers from Spain.
The Schengen area is currently the largest free travel space in the world, including 29 European countries. Citizens and eligible people can travel between member countries without having to go through passport checks at the intra-bloc border.
However, the Schengen Border Code allows member states to temporarily restore border control in cases that are assessed as necessary and commensurate with the level of risk. These measures are usually limited in time and must be notified in advance to the European Commission as well as other member states.
In recent years, some European countries have repeatedly activated this mechanism to respond to issues such as terrorism, migration crises, epidemics or large-scale international events that require increased security.
According to European Union (EU) regulations, the restoration of intra-bloc border control is only temporary and does not mean that a country withdraws from the Schengen area. After the application period expires or special conditions expire, free movement between member countries will be restored according to general regulations.
