Ceuta fall-out: Spain sets up checks on travellers from Italy

Spain has set up border controls on travellers arriving from Italy, in a retaliatory move after Rome imposed its own checks on visitors from Spain in the wake of the Ceuta migrant rush, according to Deutsche Welle.

The Italian foreign minister has called Spain's decision "incomprehensible and completely unacceptable", as the dispute over migration policy threatens to spill over into the daily lives of ordinary travellers, the Guardian reported.

For Liguria, the timing could hardly be worse. The region's ports and riviera towns are in the peak of the summer season, and Spain is a major destination for Italian holidaymakers and a key market for the region's tourism industry.

The dispute began after thousands of migrants swam from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, prompting recriminations between Madrid and Rome over who should bear responsibility for the influx. Within hours of the first pictures of the migrants appearing on social media, the two countries had entered a tit-for-tat, the Guardian's commentary noted.

Spain had warned Italy it would impose entry checks on visitors unless Rome halted its controls by Sunday, Deutsche Welle reported. When that deadline passed, Madrid made good on its threat, introducing checks that are now catching travellers between the two countries.

The checks could have a direct impact on Liguria's coastal economy. The region's ports, including Genoa and Savona, handle a steady flow of ferry passengers and cruise traffic, much of it bound for Spanish ports such as Barcelona and the Balearic Islands. Any additional friction at the border — even a brief queue at passport control — could deter travellers during the busiest weeks of the year.

The Guardian's analysis argued that the Ceuta episode showed "just how easily Europe can be divided", with populist leaders in Russia and Turkey likely to take note of the continent's inability to present a united front on migration. For a region like Liguria, which depends on open borders and the free movement of people for its trade and tourism, the message is unsettling.

Italian officials have condemned the Spanish measures as disproportionate, but there is no sign yet of a resolution. Travellers planning to cross the border in the coming days are advised to expect delays, the wire reports.