Spain Tightens Border Controls On Italy In Retaliatory Move Over Ceuta

The checks will begin at midnight on Saturday and remain in place until September 7, Spain’s Interior Ministry said. Madrid said the move came in response to Italy imposing similar restrictions after tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30 and 31.

Spain said the measures were being introduced amid “persistent irregular migration pressure” affecting Italy.

Earlier on Friday, Spain had demanded that Italy quickly lift its border controls, warning that it would take reciprocal action if Rome refused. Madrid described Italy’s move as “unfair, contrary to the EU’s interests and discriminatory for the Spanish population”.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares went further, calling it “a torpedo fired at the hull of European unity”.

“We urge the government of Italy to rectify, put an end to the checks and treat Spaniards like other European citizens,” the Spanish government said.

Madrid had threatened “proportional measures” if Italy failed to act by Sunday. Rome, however, rejected the demand, prompting Spain to announce its own controls within hours.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said Rome had “no intention of revising the decision” before August 15, citing concerns over a possible new migration wave towards Ceuta.

“Italy does not accept ultimatums or impositions from abroad regarding national security and border control,” Meloni’s office said.

Rome said the decision would be reconsidered only when there was sufficient certainty that Italy faced no security or terrorism threat, that no fresh migration wave was developing and that irregular migrants were not heading towards European territory.

Italy’s controls, announced on July 31, apply at maritime and air entry points to third-country nationals arriving from Spain. Rome described them as an “extraordinary measure” intended to protect national security.

Italy and Spain do not share a land border.

The dispute follows the unprecedented movement of migrants into Ceuta on July 30 and 31. Tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish territory, prompting a strong reaction from several European governments.

Italy, which has pursued a hard-line approach to irregular migration under Meloni, was among the countries calling for tougher action against Spain.

Meloni was also among EU leaders who called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen visa-free travel area after the Ceuta incident, although such a move is not legally possible under current EU rules.

The Spanish government warned against “creating rifts and sterile conflicts driven by internal electoral motives”, while expressing hope that “pro-European sentiment, common sense and good faith prevail”.

Spanish authorities have reportedly been monitoring online rumours and social media posts about a possible fresh arrival of migrants in Ceuta in mid-August. Officials, however, have not explicitly confirmed that another large-scale influx is expected.

Rome has said its border authorities will make efforts to ensure minimal disruption for Spanish and other European citizens who are not covered by the checks.

The dispute has nevertheless highlighted tensions within the EU over migration policy and the balance between national security measures and the Schengen system of free movement.

Spanish authorities said around 72,000 people entered the territory, with roughly 70,000 later returning to Morocco. Spain has put the number of deaths at 80.

Moroccan rights groups have reported a considerably higher toll. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights and the European Coordination for Human Rights in Morocco said at least 141 people had died and warned that the figure could rise.

Morocco’s Interior Ministry has reported 11 deaths on its side of the border, all but one caused by drowning. Hundreds of people, including unaccompanied children, remain in Ceuta under difficult conditions, with limited access to food, water and shelter.

The latest tit-for-tat border measures have now turned the migration crisis into a diplomatic dispute between two EU allies, raising fresh questions about how Europe will respond to irregular migration while preserving the principles of free movement.