Spain has given Italy until 9 August to lift temporary border controls introduced after thousands of migrants arrived in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa. Madrid has warned that it will take “proportionate” countermeasures if Rome does not end the checks by the deadline. Italy reintroduced selective controls last week for passengers travelling by air and ferry from Spain. Spain called the Italian move “unfair, contrary to the interests of the European Union and discriminatory towards the Spanish population”. According to the Spanish government, the controls do not comply with the Schengen Borders Code and do not reflect the real situation in Ceuta.