Key facts
- Italy and Spain have agreed to lift border controls on each other's citizens.
- The dispute was triggered by a rush of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
- Italy's government first suspended its open-border arrangements with Spain on July 31.
- Spain responded by taking similar action against Rome.
- The decision will be accompanied by enhanced information-sharing measures.
Italy and Spain have agreed to lift border controls on each other's citizens, ending a three-month dispute triggered by a rush of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The Italian interior ministry announced the decision on Friday. Italy's right-wing government first suspended its open-border arrangements with Spain on July 31, stating a desire to prevent migrants entering Ceuta from traveling to Italy. Spain responded by taking similar action against Rome, calling Italy's measures "unjust, contrary to European Union interests, and discriminatory to the population of Spain." The Italian and Spanish interior ministers spoke on the phone and agreed not to extend their suspension of the European Union's open-border Schengen arrangements. The decision will be accompanied by enhanced information-sharing measures to ensure the security of the common Schengen area.