"Italy will not accept ultimatums or impositions," the Italian government said in response to Spain's demand.
Migrants, some of them minors, queue to receive food staples from local NGO Media Luna Blanca, in Ceuta, Spain, Aug 6, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura)
08 Aug 2026 02:19AM
MADRID: Spain threatened on Friday (Aug 7) to impose restrictions on travellers from Italy unless Rome lifts by Sunday the border controls it introduced last week following a mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.Italy swiftly responded, saying it would not accept "ultimatums or impositions" from Madrid, adding that it would keep in place its suspension of Schengen rules for non-EU nationals arriving from Spain until at least Aug 15.Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's conservative government had previously said the more robust travel checks would remain in force until the end of the month.The Spanish government said Italy's decision to reintroduce controls on arrivals from Spain was "unjustified, contrary to the interests of the European Union and discriminatory against the Spanish population".
It promised to adopt "proportionate measures" against Italy unless Meloni rolled back the new constraints by Sunday.However, in a toughly worded statement, Meloni's office said Spanish authorities had themselves warned of a new migrant influx into Ceuta on Aug 15. It said it would only reconsider its decision once it was certain there was no new migration wave, no security or terrorism risk to Italy and no irregular migrants heading towards European territory.Spain's Civil Guard has said it is aware of calls online for a fresh border crossing attempt at Ceuta on Aug 15, however it is not clear how many people might take part.
