Italy extends Schengen suspension with Spain for another week

Italy will extend its suspension of the Schengen Agreement for travelers arriving from Spain for another week, government sources told Italy’s ANSA news agency on Friday.

The extension aims to align Italy’s suspension with the latest border controls introduced by Spain.

The two countries’ interior ministers are also set to hold talks on ending the border checks in the coming days, sources said.

Spain recently extended temporary border controls on travelers arriving from Italy by air and sea for another 15 days, until Oct. 22.

The controls were initially introduced after Italy imposed border checks on travelers from Spain following the mass arrival in late July of around 72,000 migrants in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco.

Spain responded by introducing controls on travelers arriving from Italy on Aug. 8, formally citing migration pressure on the Central Mediterranean route and unauthorized onward movements from Italy to other Schengen countries, including Spain.