Italy suspends Schengen regime with Spain to protect national security: PM

ROME - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday evening that the government had decided to temporarily suspend the Schengen free-movement regime for maritime and air links with Spain and reintroduce border checks.

"This is an extraordinary measure adopted to protect national security and prevent possible repercussions for our country. The measure will remain in place only for as long as necessary, with particular attention paid to limiting any impact on summer tourism flows," Meloni said in a post on X.

The decision was made after the government assessed the latest situation regarding immigration and border security, following the recent influx of migrants from Morocco in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

ANSA reported that Italy will implement border controls on maritime and air links with Spain for one month starting Aug 1. The checks will be carried out at Italian ports and airports.

Border police will conduct "targeted" and "selective" checks, focusing mainly on third-country nationals arriving in Italy from Spain to verify whether they hold valid documents allowing them to travel within the Schengen area.

"The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary choice to protect the security of our citizens and defend Europe's borders. It is a measure provided for by the treaties and made unavoidable by the current situation," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a post on X on Friday evening.

"The Ceuta migrant crisis reminds us that managing the EU's borders is a shared responsibility among our countries," Tajani said. "We must work together to prevent uncontrolled migrant flows from entering EU territory, with all the resulting risks and the threat of terrorism, which must be tackled without hesitation," he said.