Italy's foreign ministry held urgent talks with Swiss ambassador late on Tuesday, warning that Switzerland's recent overnight closures of three border crossings and police checks on Italians going to work there breached the Schengen passport-free zone.
During the talks, Giancarlo Kessler stated that the night-time border shutdowns that began on Saturday in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino were "temporary and experimental", the ministry said in a statement.
Kessler said the border crossing closures would soon be reviewed, the ministry stated.
Italy meanwhile reiterated its demand that Switzerland cease "as quickly as possible" its criminal record checks on Italian cross-border workers.
"As the Swiss authorities have recognised, this is a violation of the (Schengen) agreement on freedom of movement," the ministry added.
Kessler said Switzerland was looking to end the criminal record checks on Italian workers and to introduce measures that were compatible with European rules, according to the ministry.
