Source: BBC
Spain has introduced temporary border checks on travellers arriving from Italy, escalating a dispute between the two EU governments over Rome's decision to restrict the movement of some passengers arriving from Spain.
The Spanish measures began at midnight local time and are due to remain in place until September 7, unless circumstances change. Passengers arriving from Italy can be subject to passport, nationality and visa checks at Spanish entry points.
Madrid's decision came after Italy rejected a Spanish demand to end its own temporary controls on arrivals from Spain.
Italy introduced the restrictions last week, citing security concerns linked to the recent mass arrivals in Ceuta. Rome argues that the checks are necessary to prevent people who entered the Spanish territory from subsequently travelling onwards to Italy.
The Italian government has said the controls will remain in force until at least August 15 and potentially longer, depending on the security situation.
Spain has strongly disputed Rome's reasoning. Madrid argues that people who entered Ceuta cannot simply enter the Schengen area through the exclave and therefore rejects the connection between the Ceuta situation and Italy's decision to restrict movement from Spain.
The disagreement became more direct on Friday, when Spain called on Italy to withdraw its measures by Sunday. Rome rejected the demand, saying it would not accept what it described as an ultimatum.
The Italian government said it had no intention of reconsidering its suspension of Schengen arrangements for third-country nationals arriving from Spain before August 15, and said the restrictions could remain beyond that date if security and terrorism risks had not been resolved.
The dispute has placed Sánchez and Meloni on opposite sides of an increasingly sensitive argument over how EU countries should respond when migration and internal border security overlap.
Italy has stressed that its additional checks do not apply to Spanish citizens. The measures are aimed at non-EU nationals arriving from Spain, while Italian authorities say they are trying to minimise disruption for Spanish and other European passengers.
In practice, however, the restrictions have caused delays at some Italian airports. Spanish newspaper El País has reported queues at several terminals, with passengers arriving from Spain directed towards separate lines for document checks.
Spain's decision to introduce reciprocal controls now brings the dispute directly to its own borders. The Spanish government said the checks were necessary because of continued irregular migration pressure, while setting September 7 as the current end date.
The confrontation is taking place within the Schengen system, where internal border controls are normally absent. EU countries can temporarily restore checks under exceptional circumstances, and Italy has previously used such measures on its border with Slovenia.
Rome's decision has also received political support from Finland and Denmark, while the Czech Republic has gone further by calling for Spain's Schengen participation to be temporarily suspended.
The immediate political dispute between Madrid and Rome is separate from the question of what caused the sudden influx into Ceuta. Most of those who arrived have since been returned, although nearly 1,400 minors remain in the Spanish territory.
Spain has also not confirmed that another large-scale attempt to enter Ceuta is expected. Reports of a possible second attempt have circulated largely through social media, while Sánchez's office has said Spanish authorities are monitoring the situation without anticipating a repeat of the previous scenes.
The latest confrontation nevertheless leaves Spain and Italy with reciprocal border measures in place, adding a new source of friction between two EU governments that have taken notably different positions on migration and border policy.
For Madrid, the Italian controls are an unjustified restriction on movement between two EU countries. For Rome, maintaining checks is presented as a temporary security measure until the risks associated with the situation in Spain have been assessed.
