Italy is suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain . Free movement will no longer be in place for a month, but border police at ports and airports will conduct checks—"targeted and selective," as the Interior Ministry calls them—on non-European citizens arriving from Spain. This is the reaction of Giorgia Meloni and her government to the images of the migrant attack in Ceuta , the Spanish enclave in Morocco. The Prime Minister explains, "it is necessary to protect national security and prevent possible repercussions for our nation."
The first result is a diplomatic crisis with Madrid, where Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez notes that "solidarity and empathy are optional, respect for the EU Treaties is not," recalling Frontex data according to which between 2021 and 2026, Italy was the primary gateway for irregular migrants, 478,600.
In a controversial tweet, Sanchez recalled the "number of irregular entries between 2021 and 2026 according to Frontex: Through Italy: 478,600; Through the Western Balkans: 340,600; Through Greece: 259,800; Through Spain: 234,760; Through the eastern border: 48,000," the prime minister said. "This is not the time for division. It is time to continue building a strong and united EU," he concluded.
Furthermore, Madrid specifies, more than 48 thousand of the 60 thousand migrants who arrived have already been repatriated .
Brussels also reacted coolly, emphasizing that the situation in Ceuta is "unacceptable" but "there are no reports of influxes" from the enclave, which, like Melilla, is "an external border, and the necessary controls are in place." "Italy must explain to us," an EU spokesperson emphasized, "how the Ceuta crisis poses a security threat."
At the same time, Meloni clarified, "Italy is ready to support any European initiative to assist Spanish institutions in re-establishing full control of the Union's external borders and resolutely addressing the ongoing situation."
In Rome, questions are being raised about how Madrid is repatriating migrants, and the main hypotheses surrounding the causes and contributing factors are being analyzed, from the reaction to Sanchez's visit to Algeria to the Morocco-Israel axis. Certainly, the government argues, it was a well-orchestrated operation.
The death toll
The tragic death toll of migrants attempting to swim to the coast of Ceuta is rising: at least 67 bodies have been recovered by diving teams, Civil Guard officers, and Spanish maritime rescue services, according to sources from the autonomous city's Government Delegation in Morocco.
The suspension of Schengen
Now, a month-long blacklist for departures begins, coinciding with the first weekend of August. Third-country nationals arriving from Spain will have their documents checked, and the Interior Ministry assures that Spaniards and Europeans traveling to Italy will not face bureaucratic burdens . Nothing changes for those traveling from Italy to Spain. The measure, Meloni promises, "will be kept in place only for as long as necessary, with particular attention to limiting any impact on summer tourist flows." Antonio Tajani explains that it was "a necessary choice." Matteo Salvini claims, "the League's line is valid." "Finally Piantedosi has woken up," sarcastically commented on Futuro Nazionale .
The opposition is decidedly controversial. "This government," attacks Democratic Party Secretary Elly Schlein , " has abandoned Italy and the Italians. It no longer addresses their daily problems but, now held hostage by demagoguery, has been reduced to Trump's agent in Europe ." According to Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte, "Vannacci's psychosis is pushing the Italian government into profiteering operations," and Meloni "has forgotten when in the summer of 2023 she begged von der Leyen to come to Lampedusa, with 6,000 landings in a single day." Riccardo Magi (+Europa) accuses the government of spreading fake news: "The suspension of Schengen makes no sense given the control regime normally in place with Ceuta, which is in Africa, not Europe." The government, Avs accuses, "lies, fuels fear, and seeks an enemy."
(Unioneonline)