The Jubilee year is approaching, and Italy has extended the suspension of the Schengen agreements for an additional six months by reinstating border controls along its frontier with Slovenia. This decision was communicated by Italy’s Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, to his counterparts in Slovenia and Croatia, Bostjan Poklukar and Davor Bozinovic.

"Given the persistent dynamics of instability in the current international scenario, together with colleagues we shared this concern due to the risk of infiltration of terrorists in the migration flows along the Balkan route," declared Piantedosi.

Border controls started in October 2023, following the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7.

As Piantedosi assured, "the border control measures will be implemented in a way that aims to cause the least possible disruption to citizens of the three countries."

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Security measures ahead of Jubilee year

The measures are also linked to the upcoming Jubilee year, a special period of celebration in the Catholic Church, which will see cultural and religious events across Europe. Specifically, Gorizia and Nova Gorica will serve as the joint European Capitals of Culture in 2025. Piantedosi added that "careful monitoring with adequate security measures will ensure the proper development of these events and celebratory venues."

The border controls, which started on October 21, 2023, a few weeks after the Hamas attack, have been extended multiple times, with a current end date set for December 18. These controls will continue throughout the Jubilee year.

Italy is not alone in taking such precautions. In recent weeks, Germany and the Netherlands also suspended Schengen, following earlier moves by Austria, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and France.

The ongoing concerns about the conflict in the Middle East are motivating European states to strengthen border security to prevent the possible infiltration of dangerous individuals among migrant flows.

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Irregular arrivals via Slovenia down 51 percent in 2023

The Balkan route has been carefully monitored by intelligence and anti-terrorism agencies as it is considered particularly vulnerable to jihadist extremism. Security measures will be reinforced along all sensitive borders for the Jubilee year, including land borders, ports, and airports.

Recently, Piantedosi emphasized in a meeting with the Schengen Committee that the re-implementation of border controls with Slovenia has had a "deterrent effect against irregular entries."

In the past year, there has been a 51 percent decrease in the number of irregular entries through Italy, with over 5,000 fewer cases. Additionally, there are 57 authorized entries along the land borders in Friuli, all of which are closely monitored by law enforcement.

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