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🇦🇹 Austria /Crime & Justice

Spain sets deadline for Italy to end border controls, threatens countermeasures

From Die Presse · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Spain has issued an ultimatum to Italy, demanding the end of border controls on Spanish travelers by August 9.
  • Madrid threatens to implement "proportionate" countermeasures if Italy fails to comply, citing the controls as discriminatory and contrary to EU interests.
  • Italy temporarily reinstated selective border checks for travelers from Spain following a large influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

Spain has set a firm deadline for Italy to lift its temporary border controls on Spanish arrivals, threatening reciprocal measures if the demand is not met. Madrid has informed Rome that the controls must cease by August 9, or Spain will enact "proportionate" countermeasures, according to a statement from the Spanish government on Friday.

Madrid will take 'proportionate' countermeasures.

— Spanish governmentStating the potential response if Italy does not end border controls.

The dispute arose after Italy temporarily suspended Schengen rules and introduced selective checks for air and ferry passengers from Spain. This action followed a significant influx of thousands of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta the previous week. Italy's measures are initially slated to last for one month.

The decision is 'unjust, contrary to the interests of the European Union, and discriminatory towards the Spanish population'.

— Spanish governmentCriticizing Italy's imposition of border controls.

Spain has sharply criticized Italy's decision, labeling it "unjust, contrary to the interests of the European Union, and discriminatory towards the Spanish population." Madrid argues that Rome implemented the controls unilaterally, without prior consultation, and without adequate legal basis. The Spanish government contends that these measures do not align with the Schengen Borders Code or the actual circumstances on the ground.

The temporary reintroduction of controls at the air and sea borders with Spain is in no way directed against Spain or any other partner.

— Matteo PiantedosiDefending Italy's decision to reinstate border controls.

Furthermore, Spain emphasizes that entry into Ceuta does not automatically grant access to the Schengen Area, and most of the migrants who entered Ceuta have since been returned to Morocco. During an extraordinary video conference of EU interior ministers, Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi defended the decision, stating it was a precautionary and organizational measure for national security and the integrity of the European control system during a period of exceptional strain. He also expressed solidarity with Spain regarding the Ceuta crisis.

It is a precautionary and organizational measure to protect national security and the integrity of the European control system in a phase of exceptional strain.

— Matteo PiantedosiExplaining the rationale behind Italy's border control measures.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Presse in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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