Italy and Spain to End Checks After Migrant Crisis

Italy and Spain will end mutual border checks at airports and ports on Oct. 23, after imposing the restrictions in August following the migrant crisis in Ceuta. Giorgia Meloni and Pedro Sánchez agreed to end them Thursday morning. Across Europe, protests over living costs, fuel prices, housing and public services are spreading.

Border Checks and Public Pressure

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

In southern Italy, truckers’ blockades over fuel prices grew in scale and intensity, creating major supply problems. Supermarket shelves and gas pumps stood empty. 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 offset expensive diesel. She said the government wouldn’t be “blackmailed by those who use violence as an instrument of pressure” and that “those who want to work must be able to do it, and the state must guarantee it.” She also announced financial support for diesel for farmers and fishermen. Protesters called more demonstrations in eight cities for Saturday.

Meloni’s government has introduced the security decree as part of a series of measures in recent years to crack down on protests. The blockades and proposed response have put fuel access, supply routes and the government’s handling of demonstrations under sharp scrutiny.

Protests and Household Costs

In Greece, thousands of 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 show 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.”

Spain’s unaffordable property crisis has driven thousands of protesters into the streets in recent weeks. The country’s first general strike in 15 years was scheduled for Nov. 11. Spain is due to hold an election on Nov. 29, while the other protesting countries also head to polls in coming months, according to POLITICO.

Experts warned the situation could worsen as energy prices would likely rise over the winter and strain 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 said economic insecurity and polarized politics could shape campaigns, and populist parties are expected to benefit from public anger.

National Decisions and EU Rules

Greece was due to vote on legislation banning children under 15 from using social media. The proposed ban would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, and require parents or guardians to install an app that enforces the restriction across devices. State Minister Akis Skertsos said: “We need to move from individual responsibility on the part of parents and children toward corporate responsibility and state regulation.” The government said age verification wouldn’t reveal children’s personal information to social media companies.

Opposition parties disagreed over whether a blanket age-based prohibition could tackle broader online risks. Pasok proposed a gradual restriction and special limited accounts for children aged 13 to 15. The bill says enforcement would stop once a European regulation on the same issue enters into force. In August, a French court blocked similar legislation by Macron.

Greece also took a maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya to the U.N. Security Council. Athens considers the deal, ratified in Eastern Libya’s parliament earlier that week, a sea grab. The EU rejected the memorandum, and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described it as null and void; Israel and Egypt also rejected it.