Spain checks 199 Italy arrivals as border controls deepen migration dispute

11:00

By: Sahili Aya

Spain checks 199 Italy arrivals as border controls deepen migration dispute

Spain has carried out checks on nearly 200 passengers arriving from Italy, marking the first implementation of newly reinstated border controls between the two European Union members amid a growing dispute over irregular migration.

The Spanish Interior Ministry said 199 travellers on 12 flights from Italy were checked on Saturday at the country’s six largest airports. The inspections took place in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante and Valencia, according to information released by the ministry.

The measures were introduced after a sharp deterioration in relations between Madrid and Rome over migration and the temporary suspension of Schengen travel arrangements.

Spain reinstates controls on Italian arrivals

Spain announced on Friday that checks on passengers arriving by air and sea from Italy would remain in place until September 7.

The decision followed Italy’s move to suspend its participation in the border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain from August 1. Rome said its action was linked to a large-scale migration episode involving Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave, on July 30.

Italian authorities said their controls would focus on non-EU nationals travelling from Spain, rather than Spanish citizens or other EU nationals.

The first day of Spanish checks indicates that the new measures are being applied selectively at major transport hubs rather than through a blanket closure of the border.

Rome signals a possible easing of restrictions

Italy has said its temporary controls will remain in effect at least until August 15, while leaving open the possibility of an earlier suspension.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that Rome hoped to remove the restrictions once the perceived risk had subsided.

The comments point to a potentially short-lived confrontation, although the dispute has exposed tensions over how European countries respond when irregular migration pressures affect movement within the Schengen zone.

Schengen rules allow temporary border checks

The Schengen Area currently encompasses 29 European countries and is built around passport-free movement across participating states.

That principle does not prevent governments from restoring internal border checks in exceptional circumstances. Member states can temporarily impose controls when they consider them necessary for reasons including security or public order.

Spain and Italy's latest measures therefore represent a temporary departure from the normal operation of Europe's passport-free travel system rather than a permanent withdrawal from Schengen.

The dispute nevertheless highlights the political sensitivity surrounding migration routes into Europe and the challenges facing EU countries when national border policies intersect with the free-movement system.