Italy is focusing on combating irregular migration as it plans to introduce new security arrangements instead of suspending Schengen free-movement rules at the Slovenian border.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said during a meeting with Slovenian Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer on Tuesday that agreed alternative measures could be introduced when the extension of the current border controls expires on December 18.
Rome and Ljubljana consider joint police force
Tajani said they had discussed the option of establishing a joint police force to strengthen cooperation between the two countries on border security. The minister said the model could resemble the arrangement currently in place on the Italian-French border and added that he had discussed the issue with Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.
Tone Kajzer also welcomed the prospect of closer cooperation. The Slovenian foreign minister said the border between the two countries could serve as an area for cooperation and new opportunities.
Controls on the Spanish border also extended
Tajani said Italy's border measures did not target any country and were intended to address security concerns and the problem of irregular migration. Tajani argued that the measures were not political and said security conditions required the protection of national borders.
On Tuesday, Italy also extended temporary controls on travelers arriving from Spain, citing security concerns and the risk of terrorist infiltration. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares criticized the decision as "absurd, useless and shameful."
The decision was taken after tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30 and 31, according to estimates by the Spanish government.
