Ceuta: Spain warns Italy it will reciprocate entry checks
Spain has told Italy it will impose entry checks on visitors unless Rome halts its controls by Sunday. Even though they don't share a land border, the countries entered a spat after the Ceuta border rush.
On Friday, Spain's government announced it would impose reciprocal entry checks on people traveling from Italy unless Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government lifted the border measures it has implemented against Spain. The border controls will go into effect from midnight on Saturday until September 7. Spain claims the checks are in response to Italy's decision to impose checks on people arriving from Spain, which the Spanish government calls unjustified and discriminatory.
Italy, on the other hand, maintains there is no real risk of people who overwhelmed Ceuta's border controls reaching the European mainland and insists that Spain must remove the entry checks by August 9 or face proportionate measures. Despite Spain's objections, many European countries, including Germany, and the European Commission have expressed concern over the importance of border security in the Schengen Zone.
Migration analyst Gerald Knaus dismissed the move as mere populism, noting that Ceuta is not on the European mainland and the vast majority of travelers are tourists. Both Italy and Spain have different stances on migration policy, with Meloni adopting a tougher line compared to Sanchez.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
