EU irregular crossings fall a third, Spain the exception

Frontex released its eight-month border figures in September, and they tell two different stories at once. Across most of the EU’s external routes, irregular crossings have fallen sharply. The western Mediterranean, the corridor that ends in mainland Spain and its north African territories, is the exception: detections on that route rose by roughly 34% in the first eight months of 2026, according to Frontex preliminary data. That is the statistical backdrop to Italy and Spain’s tit-for-tat internal border checks, which have now run for nearly three months.

What the eight-month figures show

Frontex recorded about 75,000 irregular crossings at the EU’s external borders between January and August 2026. That is down roughly 35% from the same eight months in 2025. By any historical standard the decline is large.

The breakdown by route makes the Spain picture stand out sharply.

• Western Mediterranean(mainland Spain, Balearic Islands, Ceuta, Melilla): up approximately 34%, to about 15,900 detections. This figure does not include the mass crossing at Ceuta on 30–31 July, which Spain’s interior ministry put at over 70,000 attempted crossings; Frontex said a definitive total could not be established because most people returned to Morocco before they could be registered.
• Central Mediterranean (Italy): down roughly 25%, to about 24,200.
• West African Atlantic route (Canary Islands): down about 58%, to around 5,100.
• Eastern Mediterranean: also lower than 2025.

These are all preliminary figures. Frontex revises its counts as national data is finalised.

Why is the Spain route rising?

The increase on the western Mediterranean route predates the Ceuta crisis. Analysts and migration researchers point to two factors running through 2026. First, sustained EU and partner-country pressure on departure zones farther south, particularly along the west African Atlantic route, has pushed some departures towards Algerian shores and across the shorter western Mediterranean crossing. Second, Morocco’s security cooperation on the Atlantic routes has been notably tighter this year, leaving Algerian departure points more active.

The Ceuta events in late July were a separate and acute incident, not the driver of the underlying year-to-date trend. But they amplified the political pressure on Italy and Spain and triggered the internal border checks that have been in place since 1 August.

Why this matters for flights and ferries between Italy and Spain

The Italy-Spain internal border checks are a direct response to that western Mediterranean pressure. Italy introduced air and sea checks on passengers arriving from Spain on 1 August, citing fears that people who crossed into Spain would move on to Italy. Spain responded with reciprocal controls.

Both sets of controls have been extended several times since. As of late September 2026, Italy’s checks on Spain arrivals run until 1 October; Spain’s run until 7 October. Non-EU nationals on direct flights or ferries between the two countries may face a document check on arrival. The checks do not apply to EES: crossing from Spain to Italy is an internal Schengen movement, so no biometrics are taken and your 90-day allowance is not affected.

Why the Commission’s case for ending internal checks is harder to make here

In June 2026, the European Commission issued formal opinions telling nine Schengen countries that their internal border controls may no longer be proportionate, citing the overall improvement in irregular crossings and the fact that EES went fully operational on 10 April 2026 and now biometrically records every non-EU entry.

France, Germany, Austria and others pressed ahead regardless. The Commission’s reasoning rests on the headline improvement across all routes. But the Spain-specific rise gives Madrid and Rome a data-backed counterargument: their route has not improved, it has worsened. The overall EU figure, driven by declines on the Central Mediterranean and Canary Islands routes, does not capture what is happening at their borders.

What this means for autumn travel to Spain

For most travellers heading directly to Spain from outside the Schengen area, the external border crossing is the point that matters. EES is fully enforced there: first-time visitors since 12 October 2025 are registered biometrically, and subsequent entries use a faster automated check.

If you are travelling between Italy and Spain on a direct flight or ferry before early October, keep your passport accessible after landing. The document check, if it occurs, takes place at arrivals. No routes have been cancelled.

ETIAS, when it opens for applications, will sit at the external Schengen frontier alongside EES and will screen travellers before departure. It has nothing to do with internal crossings between member states. Press reporting points to 2027 for a revised launch. No action is required yet. Applications are not open. For the current position on timing, see the ETIAS status page.