Spain introduces border controls for arrivals from Italy

From August 8, Spain introduces temporary border controls for passengers arriving from Italy. The measures will be Madrid's response to similar restrictions that Rome previously imposed on arrivals from Spain amid the migration crisis in Ceuta.

Spanish checks will come into effect on Saturday at 00:00 and, according to the announced dates, will last until September 7.

Thus, passenger checks temporarily return between the two Schengen countries, despite the EU principle of free movement across internal borders.

The current decision is a new stage of the diplomatic dispute between Madrid and Rome. Since August 1, Italy has been checking passengers arriving from Spain by air and sea. Italian authorities explained the measures by the ongoing migratory pressure following a sharp increase in illegal border crossings in Spanish Ceuta.

Spain demanded that Italy cancel the restrictions, but Rome decided to continue the checks. After this, Madrid warned of retaliatory steps and now also introduces controls for arrivals from the Italian direction.

The reinstitution of checks on Schengen internal borders is allowed in exceptional cases if the authorities believe that there is a serious threat to public order or internal security. Such measures must be temporary.

For travelers, the decision may mean additional document checks at airports and seaports, as well as longer processing times at controls. Those planning trips between Spain and Italy in the coming weeks should carry valid documents and allow for possible delays.

The catalyst for the conflict was the situation in Ceuta, a Spanish city on the northern coast of Africa, bordering Morocco. At the end of July, migrants entered the city in large numbers, after which the situation became a subject of discussion at EU level.

Italy was one of the first European countries to reinstate checks on connections with Spain. Madrid initially criticized this step and called for European solidarity in handling the migration crisis, but after Rome refused to lift the restrictions it responded with mirror measures.

Spain and Italy are part of the Schengen area, so under normal conditions there are no regular border controls between them. The temporary reintroduction of checks does not mean a border closure or a travel ban, but passengers will have to be prepared for additional controls.

Source: Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung