MADRID — Spain began imposing border controls on travelers arriving from Italy by air and sea on Saturday, escalating a dispute with Rome over irregular migration and temporarily disrupting passport-free travel between the two European Union members.
The Spanish government said the measures would remain in place until Sept. 7 and would involve checks of passports, nationality and visas for Italian passengers and travelers of other nationalities arriving from Italy. Spain said the controls were necessary because of what it described as persistent irregular migratory pressure.
The move came after Italy introduced its own temporary controls on arrivals from Spain last week, citing security and migration concerns following a mass influx of migrants into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta.
Italian authorities said on Friday that they would maintain their measures until at least Aug. 15 and rejected Spanish demands to lift them. The Italian government said it would reconsider its position only after determining that there were no continuing terrorism or security risks, no new migration surge and no irregular migrants moving toward European territory.
The dispute was triggered by events on July 30, when about 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco, according to the figures cited by Spain and Italy in their statements. The episode prompted Rome to impose controls on travelers arriving from Spain, while Madrid accused Italy of acting on assumptions about the movement of migrants through Europe.
Spain's reciprocal measures apply to flights and ships arriving from Italy, meaning travelers who would normally cross an internal Schengen border without routine passport controls can face checks on arrival. The European Union's Schengen system generally allows free movement between participating countries, although member states can temporarily reintroduce internal border controls under specified circumstances.
The confrontation has exposed differences between the governments of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over migration policy. Italy's government has defended tighter border measures as necessary to address potential security and migration risks, while Spain has challenged the basis for restrictions directed at its travelers.
The Spanish controls are scheduled to remain in force through Sept. 7 unless the government changes or ends them earlier. Italy's measures are currently set to continue at least through Aug. 15, leaving both countries with temporary internal border controls as the dispute continues.
