Italy and Spain Agree to End Border Controls and Fully Restore Schengen on Friday

Italy's interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi, and his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, agreed by phone to end the random border checks between the two countries, following talks between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on the sidelines of a European summit.

The controls expire this Friday, and neither country plans to extend them again. The measure was first imposed on August 1 for an initial one month period, and had since been renewed several times.

Italy was the first to introduce the checks, citing security concerns after the migration crisis that hit Ceuta in late July. Spain responded with reciprocal random checks on travelers arriving from Italy.

Italy's original decision had drawn criticism both from Spanish officials and from the opposition in Italy, who called it propaganda, pointing out that entering Ceuta does not grant automatic access to the Schengen area and that Italy and Spain do not even share a border.

With the restrictions lifted, Schengen rules will resume without limitations between the two countries, closing out nearly three months of border friction that began with last summer's Ceuta crisis.