The Spanish government announced on Friday (August 7th) that starting from midnight on Saturday (August 8th) until September 7th, border control measures will be implemented for all passengers arriving from Italy by flights and ships.
This diplomatic dispute originated from a large influx of immigrants from Morocco into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta at the end of July. Following this incident, the Italian government immediately announced random entry checks for passengers coming from Spain to prevent immigrants from spilling over into Italy.
In response to Italy’s actions, the Spanish government expressed strong dissatisfaction. Earlier on Friday, Spain made a request to the authorities in Rome, giving them until Sunday (August 9th) to lift the border control measures on Spanish passengers, or else equivalent retaliatory measures would be taken.
In a tough official statement issued on Friday, the Italian government firmly rejected Spain’s demands, stating that they “do not accept ultimatums or imposed conditions from abroad.” Italian officials emphasized that they will not alter the current border inspection decision until they confirm there are no security concerns or a new wave of immigration.
A few hours after Italy’s statement, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior promptly implemented retaliatory measures. According to the official announcement from Spain, starting from midnight on Saturday, Spanish border officials will conduct passport and nationality checks on all passengers arriving from Italy; if they are non-EU citizens, further checks on visas or residence permits will be carried out.