ROME (Reuters) – Italy and Slovenia are committed to restore free border circulation as soon as conditions allow, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday after holding talks with her Slovenian counterpart.
Italy reinstated police checks at the border in its northeast as of Oct. 21, suspending the free movement normally allowed within most of the European Union under the Schengen treaty, citing the risk of terrorists among the migrants in transit on the Balkan route.
Rome said the threat of violent action had increased inside the EU following the attack on Israel by Hamas and assaults by self-proclaimed Islamist militants in France and Belgium.
“We are both aware that Schengen has been an extraordinary achievement that must be preserved,” Meloni said speaking alongside Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob at the Italian government headquarters.
“We are jointly committed to restoring the ordinary border regime as soon as conditions allow,” she told reporters.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said last month the border checks were likely to be extended into next year.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
