Rome.- Italy continues this Friday with checks on travelers arriving from Spain as one week has passed since the Government of Giorgia Meloni decreed the temporary suspension of the Schengen Agreement with the Iberian country due to an alleged “national security” issue in light of the migration crisis in Ceuta.
At Fiumicino Airport (Rome), which receives between 55 and 60 daily flights from Spain during the summer season, several passengers on an Iberia flight from Madrid confirmed to EFE that police officers requested documentation from travelers at the “finger” connecting the aircraft to the terminal.
In fact, companies like Iberia have sent messages to their customers traveling to Italy in the last week to inform them that “the Italian authorities have temporarily reinstated border controls for passengers arriving in Italy on flights from Spain”.
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The message recommends that non-EU citizens carry with them documentation proving compliance with the requirements for entry and stay in Italy.
On July 31st, the Italian government announced the temporary suspension (for a period of one month) of the Schengen agreement with Spain and the implementation of selective checks on citizens of non-EU countries arriving from Spain, in light of the migration crisis in Ceuta, an autonomous Spanish city bordering Morocco where thousands of people entered illegally last week.
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These controls have been applied at Italian ports and airports for a week now without any notable incidents having been reported, beyond some congestion when exiting the plane due to the documentation requirement.
A source at Fiumicino explained to EFE that each airport has its own formula for applying controls and in the case of the Roman one, the request for documents at the exit of the plane has been chosen, while in other cases such as in Venice, flights arriving from Spain have been grouped in the non-EU area.
Precisely this Friday the Spanish Government has urged Italy to rectify and put an end to border controls with Spain and, in the event that it does not do so, it announces that it will adopt “proportional” measures starting this Sunday to protect the interests and dignity of its citizens, the Spanish Government reported in a statement.
According to the Spanish Government, Italy’s measure is unprecedented in recent history and was adopted without prior notice, unilaterally, and with “spurious” arguments that do not conform to either the Schengen Borders Code or the truth.
