The Official State Gazette published this Sunday the order of the Ministry of the Interior that reestablishes for 30 days border controls on air and sea connections of passengers from Italy, which are applied randomly to reduce their impact on free movement.
The decision of the Spanish Government comes after Italy decided to reestablish border controls on travelers from Spain after the massive entry of migrants into Ceuta, with the argument of avoiding possible secondary movements towards Italian territory. Spain demanded the withdrawal of these controls and, in the face of Italy’s refusal, announced on Friday afternoon that this Saturday it would adopt similar measures for travelers arriving from Italy.
Spain controls 199 travelers from third countries
On the first day after the reestablishment of the measure, the National Police controlled 199 national travelers from third countries arriving in Spain on twelve flights from Italy. According to the data provided to EFE by the Ministry of the Interior, which corresponds to the period between 00:01 and 21:00 this Saturday, the controls have been carried out at the airports of Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante and Valencia.
The largest number of controlled passengers was recorded at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport, where the documentation of 83 third-country nationals traveling on a flight from Rome was reviewed.
In Barcelona-El Prat, two flights arriving from Milan and Rome have been checked, with a total of 67 passengers from third countries, while in Valencia, three flights from Cagliari, Naples and Bari have been checked and 33 people have been checked.
In Seville, the checks affected two flights from Bologna and Florence and eleven passengers, while in Bilbao five travelers on a flight arriving from Rome were checked. In Alicante, three flights have been included in the device, although no controls have been carried out on third-country nationals.
Random controls and “at the plane door”
These random border controls have been established “at the plane door” for travelers from Italy and are intended to verify the situation of third-country citizens who may subsequently travel to Spain.
The checks are carried out on passengers on flights from Italy and focus on citizens of countries not belonging to the European Union, within the border surveillance actions adopted by the Spanish authorities.
Italy charges against Spain: “It is unacceptable and incomprehensible”
The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, believes that Spain’s reaction to also suspend the Schengen free movement treaty is “incomprehensible and totally unacceptable.” “We suspended the Schengen area, as required by the Treaties, because something extraordinary happened in Ceuta,” said Tajani in an interview published this Sunday in the newspaper La Stampa.
“Even today, the mayor (of Ceuta, Juan Jesús) Vivas affirms that between 8,000 and 11,000 migrants remain there. And thousands are sub-Saharan Africans who cannot be repatriated. What is incomprehensible and totally unacceptable is Spain’s reaction,” said Tajani, despite the fact that the Ceuta government has reduced the number of people who remain there to between 3,000 and 5,000.
“It is Sánchez who has dramatized”
Tajani reiterated that the decision was made, since, according to “Spanish intelligence services, there is a risk of a new wave in mid-August, and not lifting the measure is a precaution.” “We hope to be able to lift the suspension soon, as soon as the risk has disappeared. It is (Pedro) Sánchez who has dramatized it,” said the minister and leader of Forza Italia.
When asked if the “measure is symbolic” since Ceuta is not part of the Schengen area, the vice president of the Italian Government stated that Spain is in that space and that “the risk, as the Spanish press also points out, lies in the migratory movements of non-Moroccan people.” “Where do they go after arriving in Spain? Italy, as a destination, is the most exposed country. We are not Germany or Norway,” he indicated.
“It is necessary to establish order: we are not against Spain, but we have the duty to protect our borders. And there is no doubt that the arrival of people from sub-Saharan Africa represents a jihadist threat. The Spanish police themselves have detained suspicious individuals,” added the head of Italian diplomacy.
Brussels mediates between both and reassures: “Borders are temporary”
For his part, the Commissioner for Migration of the European Union (EU), Magnus Brunner, said that, after being in contact with the Interior Ministers of Spain and Italy, both countries have guaranteed that the internal borders imposed “are temporary.” “Today I have contacted the Ministers of the Interior of both Spain and Italy. Both have confirmed that the controls at the internal borders are temporary,” said the European Commissioner through social networks.
Likewise, Brunner highlighted “the progress we have made in the fight against illegal immigration” and insisted that “trust between Member States is our most valuable asset.” Finally, the Austrian trusted that the Spanish authorities “have assured that the events in Ceuta will not have lasting repercussions in the Schengen area”, and added that, for this reason, “there are indications from Italy that the controls could be lifted soon.”
