Spain imposes temporary retaliatory border checks for Italians

In a tit-for-tat move, Spain has introduced temporary border checks on visitors from Italy, which came into effect at midnight on Saturday.

The announcement came as a diplomatic row between the two European Union countries intensified, a week after Italy introduced similar restrictions on Spanish visitors.

This followed an influx of tens of thousands of migrants across the border from Morocco into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta.

Rome then temporarily suspended its border-free Schengen agreement with Spain for a month to prevent any of the migrants from travelling to Italy.

Italians arriving at Barcelona airport were subject to random police checks after the controls were put into effect overnight, according to Spain’s state news agency EFE.

Spain said the controls would stay in place for at least a month.

The announcement came after Italy on Friday rejected Madrid’s warning that it would take measures to protect the dignity of its citizens if Rome did not lift its restrictions by Sunday.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been very critical of the Spanish government’s progressive migration policies.

Hawkish EU leaders like Meloni have pointed to policies like Madrid’s decision to give amnesty to illegal immigrants who could prove they had been living in the country for at least five months.

Over 1 million people applied before the window closed at the end of June.

Meloni’s office said Italian authorities would not lift border checks on people arriving by sea or air from Spain until at least 15 August.

“Italy does not accept ultimatums or impositions from abroad about national security and border control,” a statement said.

The 27-member EU bloc has a visa-free travel area known as Schengen that allows citizens of most EU countries to travel easily across borders for work and pleasure.

According to the EU, member states are allowed to temporarily reintroduce controls at the EU’s so-called internal borders in case of a serious threat, such as one to internal security.

But it also says border controls should be applied as a last resort in exceptional situations, and must be time-limited.