Italy suspends Schengen free-travel pact with Spain over Ceuta migrant crisis

Italy says it is suspending the European Union’s border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain for one month.

This move is in response to the mass influx of 60,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco.

This implies that travellers from Spain would have to present a valid passport when entering Rome by air or sea, instead of benefiting from the usual passport-free travel under the Schengen Agreement.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the measure was adopted to safeguard national security and prevent “possible repercussions on our nations.”

“The measure will be kept in force only for the time necessary,” she wrote on X.

However, the new policy only affects non-Spanish citizens and non-EU citizens, with Ms Meloni noting that “particular attention” will be paid to “limiting any impact on summer tourist flows.”