A seven-day extension

Italy has extended its temporary border checks on travellers from Spain by seven days, so that they line up with the expiry of Spanish measures. Sources at Palazzo Chigi, the prime minister's office, announced the decision after an exchange between Rome and Madrid. On Wednesday, 30 September, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi had already extended the checks on air and sea borders by 15 days, after consulting the national immigration and border security analysis committee. An early Adnkronos report said both countries would extend by 15 days, but later reports from Palazzo Chigi give seven days. Madrid had in turn extended its own checks on passengers arriving from Italy.

How the standoff began

The dispute grew out of a migration crisis at Ceuta, the Spanish exclave on Morocco's northern border, where La Stampa reports that about 72,000 people crossed the frontier within a few hours. Rome reinstated checks from 1 August, citing security concerns and the risk of infiltration, and Madrid answered by checking passengers arriving from Italy from 8 August. The Spanish Interior Ministry said its measures were first introduced for one month. Italian sources at the Interior Ministry reported that nearly 500,000 people were checked between 1 and 31 August, and that 31 were turned back, including 8 Moroccans. Spanish ministry data up to 13:00 on 22 August showed 7,696 people asked to present documents on arrival from Italy, across 696 flights checked by 1,144 officers.

The official line

The Interior Ministry presented the extension as a continuation of the assessment that led to the original measures. In its own words, the ministry said:

“The elements of assessment behind the reintroduction on 1 August remain in place.”

The ministry added that it had also taken into account the initiatives Spain has already launched with the European Union, in the hope that the situation can move toward normalisation. Piantedosi described his call with his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, as a constructive exchange.

Politics behind the deal

According to sources close to the Italian prime minister, Rome does not want to give Pedro Sánchez arguments to use in the Spanish election campaign, which ends with a vote on 29 November. Those close to Giorgia Meloni say the aim is to keep Italy out of that campaign, so Sánchez has no outside opponent to attack and Vox has no issue to exploit. Meloni met Vox leader Santiago Abascal in Brussels on 15 October. Il Messaggero reports that Meloni made the decision late on 15 October while still at the European Council, a few hours before the previous extension was due to expire at midnight, and suggested it could be the last extension.

What comes next

The ministers will evaluate replacement cooperation measures together in the week of 19 October. Meloni and Sánchez were expected to meet again on 16 October, first at a European Council session on Ukraine and then at a lunch devoted to the migration crisis. Il Messaggero expected their approaches to diverge again on how to stop irregular entries, while La Vanguardia reported that the debate on immigration was expected to be heated, with Sánchez's government's regularisation of migrants possibly raised again.