Spain answers Meloni and also imposes border controls on travellers coming from Italy

BarcelonaThe clash between Spain and Italy over the Ceuta crisis is escalating dangerously for the interests of the European Union. The Spanish government has announced that it will also impose border controls on travelers coming from Italian territory, after Giorgia Meloni's executive announced this Friday that it will maintain, at least until August 15, the controls with Spain imposed following the massive arrival of migrants in Ceuta last week. Madrid had requested the restoration of free movement, but given Rome's refusal, the socialist executive had already warned that it would take equivalent "measures". And so it has been.

"The government has decided to temporarily re-establish controls at the internal borders of ports and airports for travel originating from the Italian Republic, given the persistent irregular migratory pressure suffered by the transalpine country. These border controls will be operational from 00:00 hours this Saturday and will consist of checking the identity (passport) and nationality of travelers and, in the case of third-country nationals, the visa or residence permit. These measures will be applied randomly and will be in force until 00:00 hours on next September 7, unless a change in the circumstances that motivated their adoption advises modifying this term," argued the Spanish Ministry of the Interior in a statement.

Rome was the European capital that most forcefully pointed the finger at Pedro Sánchez's executive over the Ceuta crisis, and now Madrid, after trying to de-escalate the tension, is returning the favor.

Meloni's government's response to Spain had also been forceful this Friday: "Italy does not accept ultimatums or impositions from abroad regarding national security and border control." Despite the Spanish ultimatum, the Italian executive considered that the risks "of security and terrorism" for Italy still persist and, for this reason, had decided to maintain restrictions towards "a friendly country like Spain". Furthermore, it conditioned the review of the normalization of free movement on Spain guaranteeing that "there is no new wave" of migrants. For this reason, the statement postponed the review of border controls until at least August 15, once, as it states, the risk of "a new wave of migrants in Ceuta" has been overcome. Now we will have to wait to see if there is a new response from Rome after the Spanish government's decision.

Before, the Italian Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, had assured that "it is difficult to maintain that these risk conditions do not exist at this time," as European treaties allow exceptional measures to be adopted when there is a potential danger to national security. Piantedosi had insisted that the suspension of controls is "temporary," that it is applied selectively, and that it has no consequences for European Union citizens. He had also advanced that, once August 15 has passed, the executive will assess whether the conditions are met to lift the restrictions.

The precedent of Lampedusa

In the statement in which Madrid requested a rectification from Rome, the Spanish government stated that none of the migrants who entered Ceuta "could or can enter freely into the Schengen area, as the autonomous city enjoys a special status within this area, and almost all have already returned to Morocco". The text, very harsh, recalled that, according to Frontex, Italy "is the member state that has registered the highest number of irregular crossings in recent years, with figures doubling those of Spain, and that since 2022 it has not complied with the Dublin Regulation, exerting additional migratory pressure on the rest of the member states". An argument that the Ministry of the Interior would later use to impose its controls against Italy.

In the first statement, on the other hand, Spain emphasized that it had never imposed border controls on Italy and that it had always acted with solidarity, welcoming some of the migrants who arrived in Lampedusa in 2023 and regularly opening its ports to migrants rescued along the central Mediterranean route.

Finally, the note insisted that "Europeanism, common sense, and good faith" must prevail. In this regard, the Spanish government argued that "governments exist to promote understanding between countries and the general interest of their populations, not to create sterile divisions and conflicts motivated by internal electoral interests".

"Unjustified" measures

Also in the morning, the head of Spanish diplomacy, José Manuel Albares, had assured that the Italian controls imposed on travelers from Spain are an "unjustified" measure that "attacks the dignity of Spaniards". The Minister of Foreign Affairs, who has traveled to Colombia to attend the inauguration of the new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, had stated that the situation in Ceuta is "channeled" and had warned that decisions made about the Schengen area weaken "the unity" of the European Union.

The socialist government, in fact, asked for solidarity and empathy from its European Union allies from the outset. While it is true that the first response from most of the community club partners was negative for Madrid, the tone changed on Tuesday at an emergency meeting in Brussels between the Interior ministers, where they concluded that the EU countries expressed maximum support for Spain. Now, however, the clash between Madrid and Rome, two of the European capitals that form part of the southern border, is more alive than ever.