Italy said on Friday it would not bow to "ultimatums or pressure" from Spain and would keep border checks on arrivals from the country in place until at least August 15.
Earlier on Friday, Spain threatened to impose reciprocal measures on travellers from Italy unless Rome lifted the controls by Sunday. The checks were introduced last week following a large influx of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
In a statement, the Italian government said it would reconsider the decision only when it was satisfied there were no risks related to security or terrorism, no renewed wave of migration, and no further irregular migrants heading towards European territory.
