The Italian Foreign Minister has blasted Spain's "disproportionate" response to the ongoing Schengen border crisis between Madrid and Rome.
Antonio Tajani described Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s decision to check travellers arriving from Italy as a retaliation for Rome’s suspension of the Schengen agreement.
Spain checked around 200 travellers arriving from Italy at the country's six largest airports on the first day of border controls reintroduced following a dispute with Italy over irregular migration.
The Interior Ministry in Madrid carried out checks on a total of 199 people on 12 flights from Italy to airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante and Valencia, it said late on Saturday.
Spain said border controls for flights and ships from Italy would remain in force until September 7 after Rome applied its own measures, which it said were motivated by the mass migration rush by 72,000 people to Spain's North African exclave of Ceuta on July 30.
Speaking to Italian media, Mr Tajani said: "Ceuta is not a Schengen area but a Spanish exclave, Spain is.
"The risk, as the Spanish press also says, is the secondary movements of non-Moroccans. Where do they go after arriving in Spain? Italy, as a destination, is the most exposed country. We are not Germany or Norway.
"About 15 illegal immigrants have already been stopped in Italy. Not to mention that among the migrants there were some who had previously been expelled for jihadism."
Following the incident in the exclave, Rome suspended the EU's border-free Schengen arrangements with Madrid, with officials confirming would maintain border controls with Spain until at least August 15.
Rome said the measure would not impact Spanish nationals or other EU citizens travelling to Italy.
However, it would instead involve targeted checks on non-EU nationals arriving from Spain by air or sea.
Mr Tajani continued: "We hope to be able to lift the suspension soon, as soon as there is no longer any risk."
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The Schengen Area allows passport-free travel across 29 European countries, although member states can temporarily reintroduce border controls on security or public-order grounds.
President Donald Trump, a long-time critic of Prime Minister Sánchez’s government, told a cabinet meeting the Ceuta crossings "look like an invasion."
He added: "That same thing's going to happen to us if the Republicans don't get elected, except worse", an apparent reference to upcoming midterm elections.
The State Department pointed the blame squarely at Madrid, saying the incident was a direct result of its migration policies, adding: "This unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government's deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe."
Mr Tajani continued: "Some order needs to be brought to the fore: we're not against Spain, but we have a duty to protect our borders.
"There's no doubt that arrivals from sub-Saharan Africa pose a jihadist threat. The Spanish police themselves have arrested suspicious individuals."
When asked about European solidarity on the issue, Mr Tajani said: "Defending our borders doesn't mean putting Europe at risk, which happens with indiscriminate reception.
"[Spain] hasn't been as vigilant as it should have been. And the 'come all and you'll be regulaised' policy, as it did with a million immigrants, is a negative message that puts everyone's safety at risk. It seems to me that this concern is shared across Europe."
The dispute between the two EU allies marks a new low in relations between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Prime Minister Sánchez.
Ms Meloni has positioned herself as one of Europe's leading advocates of tighter immigration controls, while Sánchez has generally defended a more liberal approach and recently backed a large-scale regularisation programme for undocumented migrants.
Spain's Youth Minister Sira Rego told reporters in Madrid: "I think what we’re saying is reasonable. What doesn’t hold water at all is Italy’s stance towards Spain. The impression is that Ms Meloni is on a crusade."
Hitting back, Madrid said Rome had registered the highest number of "irregular crossings in recent years", with figures double those of Spain.
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