Spain warns Italy of countermeasures if border checks kept

MADRID

Spain on Aug. 7 threatened Italy with countermeasures if Rome did not lift this week its one-month suspension of the free-travel Schengen agreement, introduced after the mass migrant rush to Ceuta.

The rare spat between the EU and NATO allies came after tens of thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco to the Spanish north African territory last week in an unprecedented and deadly rush.

The scenes infuriated other European Union members that back a hard line on irregular immigration and the protection of the bloc's external borders, including far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The Spanish government again hit out at Italy on Friday for a measure it described as "unfair, contrary to the EU's interests and discriminatory for the Spanish population".

"We urge the government of Italy to rectify, put an end to the checks and treat Spaniards like other European citizens," the government said in a statement.

"If it does not do so before the end of Sunday, August 9, Spain will be obliged to adopt proportional measures to protect the interests and dignity of its citizens."

The statement did not specify what the reprisals would be. Italy's measures have included the closure of maritime and air entry points as well as the reinforcement of land border controls.

The suspension of Italy's Schengen agreement with Spain, announced on July 31, was an "extraordinary measure" intended to "safeguard national security and prevent possible repercussions for our nation", Meloni said.

She was among EU leaders who called for Spain to be suspended from the visa-free Schengen travel zone after the Ceuta incident, despite such a move being legally impossible.

Italy's coalition government has sought to stop the tens of thousands of migrants who land in small boats on the country's shores each year.

The Spanish government warned against "creating rifts and sterile conflicts driven by internal electoral motives" and said "we trust that pro-European sentiment, common sense and good faith prevail".

Of the 72,000 migrants who reached Ceuta, 70,000 have returned to Morocco, according to official Spanish figures, which have recorded 80 deaths.

Morocco's interior ministry has said 11 people died on the Moroccan side of the border, all but one by drowning.

Those who remain in Ceuta — including hundreds of unaccompanied children — face dire living conditions with little access to food, water, shelter and sanitation.