Italy sharply criticized Spain’s decision to introduce checks on travelers arriving from Italy, escalating a diplomatic dispute over migration and Schengen rules. Rome began temporary checks on air and sea arrivals from Spain on 1 August 2026, after a mass irregular migration episode in Ceuta. Spain introduced random checks on air and maritime connections from Italy on 8 August, while Italy said its own controls would remain in force.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini accused Spain of acting in a way that “borders on the ridiculous,” arguing that Italy was defending Europe’s borders while Spain had failed to do so. He cited Spain’s regularization of 500,000 undocumented migrants and questioned whether potential jihadists could be among those who entered Ceuta. Spanish government estimates cited in reporting put the number of people who crossed irregularly from Morocco into the enclave on 30 and 31 July at about 72,000.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called Spain’s response a “disproportionate reprisal” and backed the continuation of Italian checks. Rome presented the measure as an internal-security response to the migration episode, including concerns about possible terrorist infiltration and unauthorized movement through the Schengen area. Tajani warned of a possible further influx in mid-August and said Italy would lift its controls once the perceived risk had passed.
Spain’s Third Vice President, Sara Aagesen, expressed hope that Italy would reconsider, maintaining that Spain had not violated Schengen rules and that people who entered Ceuta had not reached mainland Spain. She said police checks were intended to prevent unauthorized onward movement. Aagesen also addressed legal warnings from Senate President Pedro Rollán, saying several ministers had requested to appear before Congress voluntarily.
The Spanish government’s initial measure provided for random checks lasting 30 days, from 8 August to 7 September, on air and sea connections from Italy. On its first day, police conducted 199 document checks on passengers from 12 Italian flights at Spain’s busiest airports. The controls were later extended during the dispute instead of ending with the initial 30-day period.
Italy’s decision followed the mass crossings into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July. Spain called on Rome to lift its measures, but Italy refused; Madrid then introduced reciprocal checks on travelers arriving from Italy. The dispute became part of a wider European argument over responsibility for managing irregular migration and protecting the bloc’s external borders. It followed warnings from Ceuta’s leadership about the city’s vulnerability and debate over the EU’s reliance on cooperation with Morocco, as discussed in recent coverage of Ceuta's security challenges.
The controls temporarily suspended the ordinary application of Schengen arrangements; neither country withdrew from the agreement. The restrictions affected air and maritime travel between Italy and Spain, and the governments extended them repeatedly as they defended their positions. Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni and Pedro Sánchez discussed the dispute on the sidelines of a European Council summit. Interior Ministers Matteo Piantedosi and Fernando Grande-Marlaska then agreed on 22 October to end the measures. The decision followed a telephone conversation between the ministers and restored the full application of Schengen rules for travel between the two countries.
Madrid did not prolong its final extension, and both governments agreed not to extend the suspensions further. Italy’s Interior Ministry said the return to normal arrangements would be accompanied by “enhanced information-sharing measures” to support security in the common Schengen area. The agreement ended the immediate dispute over internal checks, while migration management and cooperation on Europe’s external borders remain policy challenges.
