Ceuta: Italy extends border checks with Spain; the Schengen suspension remains in place

This is yet another point of friction between Italia and Spain over the handling of the Ceuta crisis. But this time, the clash is taking place on the eve of a European development set to take the issue far beyond bilateral relations.

In the coming hours, the JHA Council – the European summit bringing together the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs – is due to meet. And it is precisely at that meeting that, as announced by Piantedosi himself, the European Commission will present ‘an action plan to prevent and combat sudden, mass illegal arrivals of migrants, with the aim of strengthening cooperation between Member States, securing the EU’s external borders, dismantling migrant smuggling networks and stepping up returns’.

The crisis in Ceuta thus becomes a central issue in the European debate on the management of external borders, sudden influxes of migrants and the ability of Member States to respond to new migratory pressures.

On the national front, meanwhile, Piantedosi aims to speed up the roll-out of the network of repatriation centres. “We will continue to work on creating a further 106 places in existing facilities in Sicily, Sardinia and Lazio, and we have also initiated procedures for the construction of new facilities in various regions: one each in Campania, Calabria, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, and two in Trentino-Alto Adige.”

The minister also sets out the figures for repatriations. ‘So far this year, there have already been over 6,500 repatriations, including both forced and assisted voluntary returns, and the process is proceeding rapidly at an increasing pace. We are projecting that, between now and the end of the year,’ he announces, ‘we will reach a record figure.’

Ceuta therefore remains the most pressing issue, but the scope of the matter is widening: from border controls with Spain to the European response, right through to the strengthening of reception centres and Italy’s strategy on returns.