Italy Extends Schengen Suspension With Spain 15 More Days; Spain Reciprocates to Sept 16

Italy's Interior Ministry notified the EU it is extending its 'targeted and selective' border checks on non-EU travellers from Spain for a further 15 days, pushing the measure to roughly Sept 15; Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the situation in Ceuta 'is anything but improved,' citing 5,000-10,000 irregular migrants still in the city. Madrid responded in kind, extending its reciprocal checks on arrivals from Italy to Sept 16. PM Pedro Sánchez called the Italian measure 'senseless,' noting Spain had previously helped Italy accommodate arrivals at Lampedusa and that frontline states 'need solidarity from central and northern Europe.' Piantedosi and Spanish counterpart Fernando Grande-Marlaska held what both described as a 'constructive' call, with Rome acknowledging steps already taken by Spain and the EU toward normalising the situation.