Rabat – Spain has given Italy until August 9 to end selective border checks on people arriving by air and sea from Spain, warning that it will take “proportionate” measures if Rome refuses to lift them, El País reported.
The dispute follows Italy’s decision to temporarily reinstate internal border controls with arrivals from Spain after tens of thousands of migrants entered the Spanish-occupied enclave of Ceuta last week.
In a statement on Friday, the Spanish government described Italy’s decision as “unjust, contrary to the interests of the EU, and discriminatory against the Spanish population.” Madrid also criticized Rome for introducing the checks without prior notice and unilaterally, arguing that they were not justified under the Schengen Borders Code.
Spain stressed that entering Ceuta does not automatically give migrants access to the Schengen area and said most of those who entered the enclave have since returned to Morocco.
Italy defends temporary checks
Italy has rejected Spain’s criticism and said it will maintain the controls until August 15, Italy’s new agency ANSA reported.
“Italy does not accept ultimatums or impositions from abroad about national security and border control,” Foreign Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said today.
“We have no intention of reconsidering the decision to suspend the application of the Schengen Agreement for third-country nationals arriving from Spain, at least until August 15, and, in any case, until security and terrorism risks for Italy have been completely eliminated,” added the statement.
It added that the measures were introduced because of security concerns and the possibility of further irregular migration toward Ceuta. “On that date, as announced by the Spanish authorities themselves, a new wave of migrants is expected in Ceuta.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said during an emergency conference call of EU interior ministers this week that the temporary reinstatement of air and maritime border controls was “in no way a measure directed against Spain or any other partner.”
He described the decision as a precautionary and organizational measure aimed at protecting national security and the wider European border-control system during a period of pressure.
Italy also expressed its “sincere solidarity” with the Spanish government. The Italian government has argued that the controls are temporary and consistent with measures used by European countries in other situations.
Diplomatic tensions rise
The latest exchange marks a further escalation in tensions between Madrid and Rome following the Ceuta migration crisis.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has criticized Italy’s response, arguing that European countries should have shown greater solidarity with Spain during the crisis.
Madrid has also pointed to Italy’s own experience with irregular migration, particularly arrivals through the Mediterranean, and said Spain has previously supported Italy by accepting migrants and allowing rescued migrants to use its ports.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has rejected the criticism, highlighting a decline in irregular migration to Italy since 2023 and defending Rome’s decision to restore temporary border controls.
