Spain imposes border checks on Italy as migrant showdown grows

MADRID: Spain announced on Friday (Aug 7) it would introduce temporary border checks on travellers from Italy in response to Rome imposing similar measures after a mass migrant rush into Ceuta.

The checks, which come “amid the persistent irregular migration pressure” facing Italy, will start at midnight on Saturday and last until Sep 7, Spain’s interior ministry said in a statement.

Hours earlier, Spain threatened Italy with countermeasures if it did not swiftly lift its own border checks, drawing a rebuff from Rome.

The rare spat between the European Union and NATO allies came after tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco to Spain’s North African territory on Jul 30-31 in an unprecedented, deadly rush.

The scenes infuriated EU members that back a hard line on irregular immigration, including Italy which imposed a one-month suspension of its visa free-travel Schengen deal with Spain.  

The Spanish government slammed the measure Friday as “unfair, contrary to the EU’s interests and discriminatory for the Spanish population”. 

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares described it as “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 government said.

He threatened “proportional measures” in response by Sunday if Italy failed to comply.