Italy and Spain lift border controls after months of tension over Ceuta

Italy and Spain agreed to lift their mutual border controls, ending a three-month standoff following a mass arrival of migrants and asylum seekers in Ceuta. Interior ministers Matteo Piantedosi and Fernando Grande-Marlaska agreed not to extend the suspension of Schengen free-movement arrangements, alongside enhanced information sharing. The decision followed a meeting between Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni and Pedro Sánchez on the sidelines of a European Council meeting. More than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30 and 31; most returned to Morocco, while thousands, including unaccompanied minors, remained in the enclave.