Italy and the Schengen Area are all over the news due to recent events surrounding the influx of Moroccan citizens into the Spanish city of Ceuta. Thousands of these people recently flooded into Ceuta unchecked, and since Ceuta is part of a Schengen state, alarm bells have gone off in other member states of the free movement treaty—especially in Italy, which also faces serious problems with illegal immigration and is therefore highly attuned to any issues that pose a risk of illegal entry into Europe.

Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, stated that Italy was considering or would implement a temporary suspension of free movement with Spain for certain non-EU travelers by reinstating controls at ports and airports, citing national security concerns.

In the end, it did not announce the “closure of the Schengen Area” in its entirety, nor did it announce Spain’s expulsion from Schengen. Legally, one member state cannot unilaterally expel another from the Schengen Area. What the Schengen Borders Code does allow is the reintroduction of temporary border controls under exceptional circumstances. And this is what Italy has ultimately done.

At this time, the situation is as follows: Spanish citizens and other EU citizens can continue to enter Italy as usual. No additional formalities are required of EU travelers. The controls are primarily aimed at third-country nationals (non-EU citizens) arriving in Italy from Spain.

As things stand, it doesn’t seem like Spaniards need to carry a passport to travel to Italy, but I’d still bring mine—it doesn’t take up any space, and it ensures a smooth entry into Italy without any surprises.