Spain Initiates Reciprocal Countermeasures
According to a decision announced by the Spanish government on Friday, border checks targeting Italy officially took effect at midnight on Saturday. As a “symmetrical response” to Italy’s previous measures, Spain will reinstate checks at its internal borders in ports and airports. The checks will be conducted randomly and will include verifying travelers’ passports, identification, and nationality. For non-EU citizens, checks will also cover valid visas or residence permits. The measure is scheduled to last until midnight on September 7, but Spain has indicated that the deadline may be adjusted if circumstances change.
Dispute Originates from Ceuta Migrant Crisis
The diplomatic row was triggered by a unilateral decision from the Italian government on August 1. Citing a massive influx of migrants into the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, the Meloni government decided to suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain. Italy claimed that approximately 72,000 Moroccan migrants had rushed into Ceuta and that the measure was intended to “safeguard national security” and “prevent an influx of illegal immigrants into the Schengen Area.”
Diplomatic Clashes and Ultimatum
In response to Italy’s unilateral action, the Spanish government issued an ultimatum on Friday, demanding the measures be lifted “within three days” or it would take “reciprocal measures.” However, the Italian government responded swiftly that afternoon, explicitly stating it “does not accept ultimatums or impositions” and rejected Spain’s demand. Italy pointed out that due to social media calls for another rush on the Ceuta border, and with Spanish authorities also predicting a potential repeat of the crisis on August 15, it had decided to extend the border checks “at least” until after that date. Upon receiving Italy’s firm reply, Spain immediately launched its countermeasures without waiting for the three-day period to end, signaling an escalating conflict between the two countries.
Arguments and Political Divides
Over the past few days, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly voiced his discontent. He stressed that the crisis in Ceuta has subsided, illegal entrants have been repatriated, and more importantly, that Ceuta, as a special city of Spain, is not part of the Schengen Area. Therefore, Italy’s claim of a threat to “Schengen space security” is baseless. Sánchez also refuted the claim with EU data, noting that Italy has three times the number of illegal immigrant entries as Spain, yet Spain has never imposed restrictions on Italy for this reason.
The two countries’ foreign ministers have also engaged in a “war of words.” The Italian foreign minister accused Spain’s migrant amnesty policies of causing the crisis, while his Spanish counterpart criticized the remarks as “partisan demagoguery” and countered that the Meloni government had also implemented an amnesty in 2022. Analysts believe the deep-rooted ideological divide between Spain’s left-wing government and Italy’s far-right government is the underlying reason for the rapid escalation of this dispute.
