Italy and
Spain clash over Schengen as Ceuta migration spat boils over
Prime
Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy is prepared to take “extraordinary measures”
to defend its borders.
https://www.politico.eu/article/migration-crisis-spain-italy-clash-over-schengen-morocco-cueta/
People
gather at Bab Sebta on the Morocco-Spain border near Spain's enclave of Ceuta
and the Moroccan town of Fnideq, on July 30, 2026. | Abdelmajid Bziouat/AFP via
Getty Images
July 31,
2026 12:49 am CET
Italy’s most
senior politicians have called for Spain to be kicked out of Europe’s Schengen
zone, with tempers running hot as thousands of migrants reportedly forced their
way into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
Images
of people
entering the Spanish territory on the coast of Morocco have been
amplified on social media, drawing a furious reaction from anti-migration
campaigners and politicians.
“The images
coming from Ceuta are shocking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled
illegal immigration poses a real threat to the security of Europe’s borders,”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote
on X.
“We are
prepared to take action — including through extraordinary measures — to defend
our borders and ensure citizens’ safety,” she added.
Meloni,
along with Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Foreign Minister
Antonio Tajani — the most senior ministers from each of the parties in Italy’s
ruling right-wing coalition — has called for the
suspension of the Schengen agreement, or for Spain to be kicked out of the
free-travel zone.
Under the
agreement, people can move freely between the 29 European signatory countries.
However, several countries have reintroduced checks on some of
their borders, which is allowed under the treaty, citing migration risks. Italy
has already temporarily reinstituted checks on the Slovenian border to clamp
down on smuggling and terrorism.
Tajani went
further than just calling for Spain to be shut out of Schengen, pinning
the blame for the Ceuta unrest on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro
Sánchez’s migration policy — which promises to legalize hundreds of thousands
of unauthorized migrants — calling it “profoundly wrong” and claiming it
“provides and incentive for human trafficking.”
That drew a
stern rebuke from Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, who has
summoned the Italian ambassador — a mark of serious diplomatic displeasure — to
answer for Tajani’s comments.
“This
message is unbecoming of the foreign minister of a partner and friendly country
from which we expect European solidarity, not partisan demagoguery,” he fired
back in a public reply to Tajani on X.
Spain’s
policy of legalizing
migrants has proven hugely contentious, both domestically and
at a European level. Meloni
and Sánchez clashed over the issue during a meeting of European
leaders last month.
Spain, which
like several other European countries is fighting deadly wildfires, now also
finds itself under diplomatic attack on multiple fronts.
Manfred
Weber, president of the European Parliament’s largest political grouping, the
center-right European People’s Party, has also called for tougher action
on migration over the Ceuta crisis, writing
on X: “This proves one thing: the Migration Pact and return regulation must
be enforced today, not tomorrow.”
European
Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner — who also hails from the EPP — said the
Commission has been supporting Spain in protecting the integrity
of its borders, including in Ceuta, and that he has been in touch with Spanish
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska about the matter.
A
spokesperson said the Commission welcomed “the close cooperation between
Morocco and Spain to tackle these flows and ensure the swift return of those
who have entered Ceuta illegally, in line with the applicable rules.”
“When it
comes to our cooperation with partner countries: Morocco is a key and trusted
partner of the EU,” the spokesperson added. “Over the past years, we have
stepped up cooperation on migration and border management as well as
anti-smuggling. We are now working to upgrade our relationship into a
comprehensive and strategic partnership.”
Zoya
Sheftalovich contributed to this report.
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