The government of Spain has issued an ultimatum to Italy, demanding the cancellation of border controls for Spanish citizens introduced after the mass arrival of migrants to Ceuta from Morocco. If Italy does not meet this demand by the end of Sunday, August 9, the government of Pedro Sánchez stated that it would be forced to “take proportional measures to protect the interests and dignity” of Spaniards.
According to sources in Moncloa, the temporary suspension of free movement, in effect since last Saturday, “complicates the travel of thousands of passengers and creates legal uncertainty in the middle of the summer season”. This measure, “unprecedented in modern history”, was implemented without prior notice, unilaterally, and based on “unfounded arguments that do not comply with either the Schengen Borders Code or the actual circumstances”, the sources noted.
Spain’s arguments against Italian restrictions
The government of Spain points out that Italy ignores the fact that “none of the migrants who illegally arrived in Ceuta last week could or can freely enter the Schengen Area, as this autonomous city has a special regime”, and that “practically all of them have already returned to Morocco“.
It is also noted that Italy is “a member state that has recorded the highest number of illegal border crossings in recent years, with its figures at times doubling those of Spain”. Furthermore, since Giorgia Meloni came to power in 2022, her country “has not complied with the Dublin Regulation, creating an additional migration burden” for other EU partners. Despite this, “Spain has never introduced border controls for Italian citizens”.
On the contrary, Spain has always shown solidarity: in 2023, it accepted some of the migrants who arrived on Lampedusa and regularly opened its ports to migrants rescued on the central Mediterranean route.
The government of Sánchez emphasizes that the measure introduced by Italy is “unfair, contrary to the interests of the European Union, and discriminatory against Spanish citizens”. Despite the ultimatum, the Spanish side expresses hope that “common sense, European solidarity, and good faith will prevail”, as “governments are called to promote understanding between countries and act in the interests of their peoples, not to create divisions and futile conflicts for domestic political motives”.
Source: El Mundo
