Key facts
- Spain has imposed one-month border controls on air and sea travel from Italy.
- The measure is a retaliation for Italy's earlier imposition of border checks on Spanish travelers.
- Italy cited concerns over migration into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta and potential security risks.
- Spain's checks will remain in place until September 7, while Italy's are in place until at least August 15.
Spain has imposed temporary border checks on visitors from Italy, escalating a dispute between the two European Union nations over migration policy. The measures, which began at midnight, are a response to Italy's decision to introduce similar restrictions following an influx of approximately 78,000 migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta.
Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares described Italy's justification for its checks as 'spurious arguments' and called the move 'a torpedo fired at the hull of European unity,' threatening proportional measures if Italy did not comply. Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called Spain's actions 'incomprehensible and completely unacceptable.'
The crisis pits Italy's conservative leader Giorgia Meloni against Spain's socialist government, highlighting broader tensions over migration policy within the EU. Italy's government stated its decision was to safeguard national security and prevent possible repercussions, and that it had no intention of revising the decision before August 15, when it said Spanish authorities expected a new wave of migration to hit Ceuta.
Both countries have indicated their border checks will remain in place for a month, with Spain's set to last until September 7 and Italy's until at least August 15. Most of the migrants who arrived in Ceuta were returned to Morocco, though nearly 1,400 minors remain.