Spain has announced temporary border checks on travellers arriving from Italy, escalating a dispute with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over migration and border controls within the EU’s Schengen area.
Madrid said checks would begin at Spanish ports and airports and remain in place until 7 September, involving identity documents and, for non-EU nationals, visas or residence permits.
- Italy introduced random checks on travellers from Spain on 1 August, citing national security and irregular migration concerns.
- Spain said its response followed “persistent irregular migratory pressure” affecting Italy and described Rome’s measures as unjust.
- The dispute follows the Ceuta migrant crisis, when an estimated 72,000 migrants entered the Spanish territory from Morocco on 30 July.
- Italy recorded about 17,000 sea arrivals in the first seven months of 2026, down from 37,000 during the same period in 2025.
The measures create additional temporary controls within the Schengen free-travel area, amid wider debate over migration management and internal EU borders.
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