ROME, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Italy has extended for another 15 days temporary border controls on air and sea routes from Spain, the Italian Interior Ministry said Tuesday.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi notified the European Commission and his counterparts in other EU members of the decision, which followed a review by the Immigration and Border Security Analysis Committee, the ministry said.
The ministry said that "high levels of risk to internal security" remained, along with a possible threat of "terrorist infiltration."
Italy first reintroduced the controls with Spain on Aug. 1 following a large influx of migrants into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the northern coast of Africa, from neighboring Morocco. The measure was subsequently extended for another 15 days at the end of August.
Under the temporary measure, Italy has reinstated checks at its air and maritime internal borders with Spain. The Schengen rules normally abolish checks at internal borders among participating countries, while EU rules allow members to temporarily reintroduce such controls in exceptional circumstances involving serious threats to public policy or internal security. ■