Spain has no concrete dates for border reopening with non-EU countries
Madrid will begin discussing travel conditions individually
schengen
Spain moves forward date of reopening of Schengen borders to June 21
Original date of measure was July 1, which is maintained for Portugal
Ban on entry to Spain from outside EU extended until June 15
Barcelona port and airport only permitted entry points in Catalonia when arriving in country by plane or ferry
Long queues at Barcelona airport’s passport control due to Spanish police staff shortages
Passengers complained on social media networks on Monday about long queues once more at the Barcelona airport’s passport controls. Sources at the Catalan Department of Territory and Sustainability confirmed a 40–50 minute wait, almost twice as long as normal. The Department claims the delay was due to a lack of police staff. According to the same sources, the situation went back to normal once staff was reinforced. On the other hand, the Spanish police said that this Monday there was more personnel at the passport controls than a week ago and attributed this one time situation to the fact that several flights arrived together in a very short period of time.
No violent protests this time as ECB meets in Barcelona
Despite initial fears of violent incidents the European Central Bank’s Governing Council meeting has been held peacefully. 8,000 police officers guarded the event by literally occupying the city. Besides, the ‘indignados’ movement demobilized their forces, and no anti-system protests took place.
Schengen to be suspended for the ECB summit in Barcelona and 6,500 policemen to be deployed
The Spanish Government has taken this measure for the European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council that will be held in Barcelona from May 2nd to 4th. The cancellation of the Schengen Protocol comes after a request by the Catalan Minister for Home Affairs to prevent the arrival of violent protesters and guarantee security during the meeting. This precautionary measure will come into effect from April 28th to May 4th, both included. It will be combined with 6,500 police deployed on the streets of the capital of Catalonia. All these measures will be taken after an evaluation of the risks of trouble during the event.
The Lleida-Alguaire Airport will operate flights to outside the Schengen Area this winter
British skiers are able to access the Catalan Pyrenees as of December with direct flights to Lleida Airport. The Spanish Government has authorised the arrival and departure of non-Schengen flights, coming from the likes of the United Kingdom and Russia. However, the authorisation’s delay forced a Russian tour operator to cancel the flights for this season and postpone them until next year.