Madrid threatens retaliation if Italy keeps border controls on travelers from Spain – POLITICO

Spain warned Italy on Friday it will take “proportional measures” if Rome does not end border controls on travelers from Spain by Aug. 9, escalating the dispute triggered by last week’s mass arrival of unauthorized migrants in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta.

Italy reintroduced border controls with Spain on Aug. 1, temporarily suspending the Schengen Agreement allowing passport-free travel across 29 European countries — a measure Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called a “necessary choice to safeguard the security of our citizens and defend European borders.”

“The measure adopted by the Italian government is unjust, contrary to the interests of the EU and discriminatory toward the Spanish population,” the Spanish government wrote in a statement blasting Rome for its “unprecedented” decision.