MADRID, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish government has decided to extend border checks at airports and seaports for travelers arriving from Italy until Oct. 8, local media reported Tuesday, citing sources at the Interior Ministry.
The decision followed Italy's announcement earlier Tuesday of a second extension of its own checks on travelers arriving from Spain.
Spain has notified the European Union (EU) of its decision to extend the checks at airports and seaports with direct connections between Spain and Italy.
Spain reintroduced the checks on Aug. 8 in response to the Italian measure and had previously extended them until Sept. 23.
The Spanish government said the circumstances that prompted the measure remained unchanged, while adding that the duration could be adjusted if those circumstances changed.
Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's minister for foreign affairs, EU and cooperation, strongly criticized the Italian decision, describing it as "absurd, useless and a disgrace."
"There is no risk or threat to the integrity of the Schengen area arising from Ceuta and Melilla, and the Italian government knows that," Albares said.
Albares told reporters at the Spanish Senate that the measure undermined the spirit of partnership among EU members and constituted "a direct attack on the dignity of Spaniards."
He also called for greater solidarity among EU countries, recalling that Spain had taken in migrants from the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2023. "Europe cannot exist without solidarity," he said.
Italy first introduced temporary checks at airports and seaports for travelers arriving from Spain on Aug. 1, following a mass influx of migrants into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta on July 30 and 31. Spain introduced reciprocal checks on Aug. 8. ■