Madrid:Spain has prolonged its temporary border controls on travelers arriving from Italy by air and sea until October 22, as detailed in an order published in the Official Gazette.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Interior Ministry announced that the extension will commence at midnight on October 8 and will continue until midnight on October 22. The extension is justified by ongoing reasons related to "urgency and serious threat to public order and internal security," which necessitate the continued enforcement of these measures under the Schengen Borders Code.

Spain initially implemented these controls for a 30-day period starting on August 8 and subsequently extended them twice, first until September 22 and then until October 7. The latest order marks the third extension in response to the ongoing situation.

The controls specifically target Spain's internal air and maritime borders for passengers whose last point of departure is within Italian territory. The order indicates that this measure will be subject to ongoing assessment and could be lifted before October 22 if the perceived threats are mitigated or can be managed through less restrictive means.

Any additional extension of these controls would necessitate a new decision based on a reevaluation of their necessity and proportionality, as stated in the gazette. The controls were first introduced following Italy's implementation of border checks on travelers from Spain after the influx of approximately 72,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco at the end of July.

Currently, more than 3,000 migrants, including several hundred minors, remain in the streets of the Spanish enclave in North Africa. Spain's initial response on August 8 cited pressures from migration on the Central Mediterranean route and unauthorized movements from Italy to other Schengen countries, including Spain.