Italy Demands Spain's Expulsion from Schengen Over Mass Migrant Surge in Ceuta

Italy has officially demanded that Spain be excluded from the Schengen Area following an unprecedented breach of the EU's external border in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. "I am in favour of closing the Schengen Area to Spain," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani declared on social media platform X.

According to him, illegal and uncontrolled immigration poses a threat to national security. Tajani called the Madrid government's decision to grant Spanish — and by extension European — citizenship to more than 500,000 undocumented migrants "deeply mistaken," noting that it effectively encourages human trafficking.

The controversy stems from a move by Pedro Sánchez's left-wing government, which since April 16 of this year has launched a process to legalise half a million migrants residing illegally in the country. According to Reuters, the initiative led to an immediate doubling in the number of applications submitted.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also weighed in on the situation in Ceuta. "Italy will not simply stand by. We are convening the relevant bodies and, following these meetings, are prepared to take emergency measures to protect our borders and the safety of our citizens — including suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain," she wrote. She added that her government would not yield an inch on illegal immigration, with border protection, the fight against human traffickers, and effective repatriation remaining top priorities.

The statements from Italian officials sparked a diplomatic row between Spain and Italy, with Madrid summoning the Italian ambassador for an explanation.

Italy's initiative also won backing from Finland's Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, a member of the nationalist Finns Party. "Spain has completely failed to protect the Schengen Area's external borders from being breached. This cannot continue. All European countries should support Meloni's proposal," she wrote on X, adding that countries failing to fulfil their duty to guard external borders cannot remain members of Schengen.

The Czech Foreign Minister, Petr Macinka (Motorists party), took a different stance. According to statements cited by the ČTK news agency, he would not favour expelling Spain from the Schengen Area, though he acknowledged that the situation following the migrant surge in Ceuta is extremely difficult for the entire European Union.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz