The Italian government has no intention of scrapping checks on people arriving from Spain and has dismissed Madrid’s threats of retaliatory action.
Italy will continue to temporarily suspend the Schengen Agreement at least until 15 August, Politico reports.
The dispute between the two countries escalated after Rome introduced emergency measures in response to the mass arrival of migrants in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta.
In a statement, Meloni’s government stressed that Italy does not accept ultimatums or demands from abroad regarding national security and border control.
Earlier, the Spanish government threatened to take similar measures if Italy did not end border checks by 9 August. In response, Rome said it would keep the controls at least until 15 August — the day a new wave of migration is expected in Ceuta — or until terrorism and security risks are fully eliminated.
Italy emphasised that it would review its decision only after threats are completely removed and there is no new influx or movement of irregular migrants toward European territory.
- In recent days, Spain returned to Morocco about 70,000 migrants out of 72,000 who had previously entered Ceuta illegally.
- Ceuta is a Spanish enclave in North Africa bordering Morocco, where tens of thousands of migrants entered illegally.
- As a result, several European countries called for Spain to be shut out of the Schengen area.
- Ceuta’s authorities linked the rise in migrant numbers to a ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court issued at the beginning of this month. It bars the authorities from immediately returning migrants arriving by sea without due legal process. At the same time, the ruling does not apply to migrants who enter Spain by land.
- Leaders of 22 EU countries called for an urgent response to the migration crisis in Ceuta.
- They noted that such cases must not create the impression that illegal entry into the European Union can lead to legal residence, as this would only encourage new waves of irregular migration.