As of today, Italy is unilaterally suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain for a period of one month.
The decision was taken urgently by the Immigration and Border Security Analysis Committee of the Italian Ministry of the Interior, reports the ANSA news agency (source: www.ansa.it).
Official Rome justified the radical move with the need to protect national security and prevent risks of secondary migration. In the last 48 hours, the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in Morocco was flooded by a record wave, with nearly 60,000 people crossing the border. This forced Madrid to mobilize the army.
What does the decision mean for travelers?
Since the two Mediterranean countries do not share a land border, the restrictions will apply entirely by sea and air.
- Targeted control: Border authorities at Italian airports and ports are starting reinforced checks.
- EU citizens: Travelers with European passports will not be stopped or delayed intentionally, assures Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
- Third-country nationals: The emergency filter is specifically aimed at non-EU nationals arriving from Spain, in order to check the regularity of their documents.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on the social network X (source: x.com) that this is an “emergency measure to guarantee internal order, which will remain in force only as long as necessary, without harming the summer tourist flow“. At the same time, Italy and France have coordinated their actions and are tightening control along their common land border.
A sharp diplomatic war between Rome and Madrid
The decision of the Italian authorities caused an immediate political upheaval in Brussels and an open conflict between the two capitals. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reacted sharply on social networks, stating that “solidarity and empathy may be a matter of choice, but compliance with European treaties is mandatory“. Madrid officially summoned the Italian ambassador in protest.
According to data from the Spanish Interior Ministry, quoted by Reuters (source: www.reuters.com), the situation in Ceuta is now under control. Over 48,000 of the migrants who crossed have already been returned to Morocco after quick agreements with Rabat. For this reason, the Spanish government defines Rome's actions as “political demagogy for internal consumption“.
Despite criticism from Madrid, Italy's position has received unexpected support in northern Europe. The interior ministers of Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands have defended Rome's right to protect its borders. They have indicated that Spain has made a serious lapse in protecting the external border of the Schengen area. Extraordinary checks at Italian airports are expected to continue at least until the end of August 2026.