Madrid presses ahead with "proportionate" travel controls after Rome rejects ultimatum to lift Schengen checks introduced over Ceuta migrant crisis.Spain began reciprocal border checks on travellers arriving from Italy at midnight on Friday, after Rome refused to lift the identity controls it reimposed on arrivals from Spain following last week's migrant crisis in Ceuta.  The row erupted on 31 July, when Italy's interior ministry reintroduced temporary Schengen border checks on non-EU travellers arriving by sea and air from Spain, citing the risk of onward movement by migrants who had reached the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.   Tens of thousands of people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco in a matter of days, prompting Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni to describe the measure as an extraordinary step taken to protect national security. Foreign minister Antonio Tajani called it a necessary and unavoidable choice.   The checks, which apply only to non-EU citizens and involve targeted, spot verification of passports at airports including Fiumicino, Malpensa and Linate, took effect on 1 August.   Madrid rejected Rome's justification, arguing that Ceuta operates under a special border regime that prevents migrants there from moving freely into the wider Schengen area. Ultimatum On Friday, the Spanish government demanded Italy that scrap the checks by Sunday 9 August, warning it would otherwise be forced to adopt proportionate countermeasures to protect the interests and dignity of Spanish citizens. Madrid called the Italian checks unjust, discriminatory and contrary to EU interests, adding they had been imposed unilaterally and without warning.   Italy refused to back down. In a statement, Palazzo Chigi said Italy does not accept ultimatums or outside impositions concerning national security and border control, and confirmed the suspension of Schengen rules for non-EU travellers from Spain would remain in place until at least 15 August, citing intelligence warnings of a possible second wave of Ceuta arrivals.   Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi described the measure as temporary and narrowly targeted, saying the situation would be reassessed after 15 August. Deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini suggested that Spanish premier Pedro Sánchez would be better off controlling his own borders than issuing threats.   Spain's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, accused Italy of firing a torpedo at the European Union and singling out Spanish citizens unfairly, pointing to Frontex data showing Italy has recorded more irregular border crossings than Spain in recent years. Spain retaliates Late on Friday, Madrid confirmed it would introduce its own checks on Italian arrivals from midnight, running until 7 September, subject to review. The controls involve spot checks on identity, passport and nationality at Spanish ports and airports, with additional visa and residency checks for non-EU nationals; EU citizens, including Italians and Spaniards travelling for tourism, are not affected by either country's measures. Sánchez has also taken the dispute to Brussels, writing to European Council president António Costa and Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to seek EU intervention. The row has split opinion across the bloc: Meloni has won backing from Denmark's Mette Frederiksen and Finnish ministers, while France's Emmanuel Macron has voiced solidarity with Sánchez. Meloni and 21 other EU leaders have written jointly to Brussels calling for an urgent meeting of interior ministers to agree a common response, while Sánchez has sent a separate letter setting out the opposing case. The European Commission has said internal border checks are meant to be a measure of last resort, applied only exceptionally and proportionately, and has noted that Italy has yet to formally notify Brussels of its suspension. With both sets of controls now in force, attention turns to whether either government will blink before the affected periods run their course.

  Late on Friday, Madrid confirmed it would introduce its own checks on Italian arrivals from midnight, running until 7 September, subject to review. The controls involve spot checks on identity, passport and nationality at Spanish ports and airports, with additional visa and residency checks for non-EU nationals; EU citizens, including Italians and Spaniards travelling for tourism, are not affected by either country's measures. Sánchez has also taken the dispute to Brussels, writing to European Council president António Costa and Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to seek EU intervention. The row has split opinion across the bloc: Meloni has won backing from Denmark's Mette Frederiksen and Finnish ministers, while France's Emmanuel Macron has voiced solidarity with Sánchez. Meloni and 21 other EU leaders have written jointly to Brussels calling for an urgent meeting of interior ministers to agree a common response, while Sánchez has sent a separate letter setting out the opposing case. The European Commission has said internal border checks are meant to be a measure of last resort, applied only exceptionally and proportionately, and has noted that Italy has yet to formally notify Brussels of its suspension. With both sets of controls now in force, attention turns to whether either government will blink before the affected periods run their course.