Italy and Spain End Border Checks Amid EU Unrest

Italy and Spain will end airport and port border checks on Oct. 23, restrictions introduced in August after the migrant crisis in Ceuta. The agreement came Thursday morning, when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Spain’s Pedro Sánchez reached a deal.

More than 3,600 demonstrations took place across Europe in the first 19 days of October, according to ACLED, the nonprofit that tracks worldwide protests and political violence. France accounted for more than half of them and 90% of demonstrations classified as riots, POLITICO reported.

Border checks and unrest

The Italy-Spain restrictions appeared among the newsletter’s updates on a wider cycle of political and social tensions. The source didn’t say the border checks were linked to protests over fuel prices, housing, education or abortion rights. It said the checks followed the migrant crisis in Ceuta and that the two governments had agreed to end them.

In southern Italy, truckers’ blockades over fuel prices were growing in scale and intensity, causing major supply problems. Supermarket shelves stood empty. Gas pumps did too. Fuel supplies weren’t reaching airports.

After a Cabinet meeting, Meloni said her government would use a security decree to dismantle the roadblocks and provide aid to counter expensive diesel. She said the government wouldn’t be “blackmailed by those who use violence as an instrument of pressure.” She added, “those who want to work must be able to do it, and the state must guarantee it.”

Meloni also announced financial support for diesel for farmers and fishermen. Organizers called more protests in eight cities for Saturday. According to POLITICO, the security decree forms part of a series of measures her government has introduced in recent years to crack down on protests.

Protests over costs and public services

Thousands of Greek students and teachers took to the streets the previous day, demanding more education funding, safe school buildings and affordable housing. They carried banners in French to express solidarity with protesters in France. Alexis Tsipras, former PM and leader of the newly formed Elas party, said: “The message is coming through loud and clear from France and beyond.”

In Spain, an acute crisis over unaffordable property had brought thousands of protesters into the streets in recent weeks. Organizers scheduled the first general strike in 15 years for Nov. 11. Spain was due to hold elections on Nov. 29, according to the newsletter.

POLITICO said all the protesting countries it discussed were heading to polls in coming months. It reported concern about how economic insecurity and polarized politics would play out in campaigns, with populist parties expected to benefit from public anger. Experts warned the situation could deteriorate as energy prices would likely rise over winter and weigh on household budgets.

Carsten Brzeski, ING’s global head of macro research, said: “There is an issue that is now voiced more loudly in France, but it is very similar to the situation in other European countries.”

The newsletter also reported that Poland was preparing for its biggest abortion-rights protest in two years, with demonstrations planned in 24 cities. Parliament passed two reforms loosening restrictions that week, but activists said they fell short of PM Donald Tusk’s 2023 pledge to legalize abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Portugal’s Defense Minister Nuno Melo announced a voluntary armed forces program intended to boost recruitment and launch in 2027. Participants would receive €439 and free driving lessons for three to six weeks of service.