Italy and Spain lift border controls after months of tension over Ceuta
Summary
Italy and Spain have agreed to lift border controls on each other's citizens after a three-month stand-off caused by a large number of migrants entering the Spanish territory of Ceuta. Both countries will resume the European Union’s open-border Schengen rules and improve information sharing to keep the area secure.Key Facts
- Italy suspended open-border rules with Spain on July 31 due to concerns about migrants entering Ceuta and then traveling to Italy.
- Spain responded by suspending open-border rules with Italy in return.
- Over 70,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30 and 31, 2026.
- Most migrants quickly returned to Morocco, but thousands, including unaccompanied children, stayed in difficult conditions.
- Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska agreed by phone to lift border restrictions.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez discussed the issue at a European Council meeting.
- The Spanish government’s response to the migrant surge affected Prime Minister Sanchez’s chances in the upcoming election.
- Opposition parties in Spain have criticized Sanchez for being too lenient on immigration.
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