Spain has imposed month-long border controls on air and sea travel from Italy, escalating a diplomatic row after Rome suspended Schengen rules for arrivals from Spain following a migrant influx in Ceuta.
EU home affairs ministers hold an emergency meeting in Brussels to express solidarity with Spain and discuss migration controls following the recent influx of migrants into Ceuta.
Spain has installed a 500-meter floating barrier off its North African enclave of Ceuta after a mass migrant crossing killed at least 67 people. The EU is alarmed, with 22 member states seeking coordinated action, while Spain's PM criticized Italy's Schengen suspension. Most of the 50,000 migrants who crossed have returned to Morocco.
Italy temporarily suspended the Schengen Agreement and reintroduced border controls with Spain after an estimated 50,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco. The surge, possibly fueled by a legal ruling, led to casualties and prompted Spain to deploy forces and rapidly return migrants.
France increased its border police presence fivefold, and Italy suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain for one month, following a major migrant influx into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, where approximately 60,000 people crossed from Morocco.
France and the UK have agreed to increase staffing at border controls to prevent travel chaos during the summer holidays. New EU fingerprinting and facial recognition checks are expected to cause significant delays at Channel crossings.
France and the UK are increasing border staff to prevent travel chaos during the summer holidays due to new EU fingerprinting and facial recognition checks. Disruption is expected at Channel crossings, with French officials assuring more staff will be deployed.
The EU has rejected demands from airports and airlines to suspend its new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES), despite acknowledging "20 difficult spots" causing queue chaos. Officials deem a full suspension "not needed" and "not possible," citing security benefits and operational improvements, while delaying the separate Etias visa system.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has rejected calls to end internal border controls within the Schengen area, stating they have had a positive impact on migration. He argued that these controls are necessary until the EU's external border protection is significantly improved and the effects of the new Common European Asylum System (GEAS) are clear. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner, however, urged a gradual phasing out of these controls.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi defended temporary border controls with Slovenia as a strategic measure for national security and European anti-terrorism efforts, citing significant results in tracking irregular migrants and potential terrorist infiltrations.
