Speaking to reporters ahead of a European People’s Party pre-summit in Brussels this morning, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed that Italy’s temporary border controls for travellers arriving from Spain are due to lapse at midnight on 15 October. Whether they are extended, he said, ‘will depend entirely on a fresh risk assessment by the Interior Ministry and the inter-ministerial security committee’. Rome re-introduced document checks on 1 October in response to a surge of irregular crossings into Ceuta that raised fears of secondary movements toward Italy. The measure, notified under Articles 25 and 28 of the Schengen Borders Code, applies to all air and maritime arrivals from Spain and Canary Islands hubs. Business travellers have faced sporadic delays at Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino and Genoa-Porto Antico where Guardia di Finanza teams conduct additional screening of high-risk nationals and random verification of EU ID cards. Airlines operating between the two countries have advised passengers to arrive at least 30 minutes earlier and to carry physical proof of accommodation or onward travel. If the waiver is lifted, Spanish routes would return to normal Schengen procedures by 00:01 CET on 16 October. Nevertheless, Tajani cautioned that ‘persistent terrorist threats’ could justify a fresh notification at any time—echoing similar language used by France and Austria in their ongoing internal-border regimes. Mobility managers are therefore urged to keep contingency plans ready and to brief travellers on possible spot checks even after formal controls end.
Source: ANSA
