Spain has given Italy until 9 August to lift temporary border controls introduced after thousands of migrants arrived in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa. Madrid has warned that it will take “proportionate” countermeasures if Rome does not end the checks by the deadline.
Italy reintroduced selective controls last week for passengers travelling by air and ferry from Spain. Rome also temporarily suspended parts of the Schengen rules, which normally allow people to travel between participating European countries without routine internal border checks. Italy says the measures will initially remain in force for one month, according to ORF news.
The decision has triggered a sharp response from Madrid. Spain called the Italian move “unfair, contrary to the interests of the European Union and discriminatory towards the Spanish population”. It also accused Italy of acting without prior consultation, making a unilateral decision and failing to provide a sufficient legal basis.
According to the Spanish government, the controls do not comply with the Schengen Borders Code and do not reflect the real situation in Ceuta. Madrid has stressed that entering the enclave does not automatically give migrants access to the wider Schengen area. It also says that most of the migrants who arrived in Ceuta have since returned to Morocco.
Italy, however, has defended its decision. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said today that the temporary suspension of Schengen rules was allowed under EU treaties. Speaking at an event organised by the governing Brothers of Italy party, he said the situation would be reviewed after 15 August.
Piantedosi said the checks were being carried out selectively at airports and had not caused significant problems for travellers. At the same time, he suggested that the measures could continue beyond 15 August, saying it was difficult to believe that the conditions for lifting them would be met by then.
The minister also claimed that Spain’s intelligence service had warned of a possible new wave of migration around 15 August. His remarks have added to tensions between the two EU countries, turning a dispute over border security into a wider argument about European solidarity, free movement and the future of the Schengen area.
