Ceuta Migrant Crisis: Meloni Urges Spain’s Removal From Schengen, Vows Italy ‘Will Not Stand By’

Italy has demanded that Spain be suspended from the European Union’s passport-free Schengen.

Area after a massive influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco reignited tensions over Europe’s migration policies.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday that her government was prepared to pursue “exceptional measures” against Spain, arguing that Madrid had failed to protect the Schengen bloc’s external borders.

“We are in the process of bringing together the competent bodies and, once these meetings are over, we are ready to act, including through exceptional measures… such as suspending the Schengen agreement with Spain,” Meloni wrote on X.

Describing the situation in Ceuta as “shocking,” Meloni said many migrants, including children, had been forced to swim to reach Spanish territory. According to Spain’s government delegation in Ceuta, at least 34 people died while attempting the dangerous crossing.

• “Italy will not stand idly by,” she said.
• Italy Pushes for Tougher Border Measures

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani backed Meloni’s call, saying Spain’s handling of irregular migration posed a threat to the entire Schengen zone. “I am in favour of closing the Schengen area with Spain,” Tajani wrote on X, arguing that “irregular and uncontrolled immigration poses a danger to national security.”

He also criticised Spain’s reported decision to grant citizenship to more than 500,000 undocumented migrants, claiming it could encourage human trafficking networks and place additional pressure on other European countries.

Finland Joins the Criticism

Finland threw its weight behind Italy’s position on Friday, with Interior Minister Mari Rantanen accusing Spain of failing to secure the EU’s external frontier. “Spain has completely failed to protect the Schengen Area’s external border from infiltration. This cannot continue,” Rantanen said on X. “Countries that do not fulfil their obligation to protect the external border cannot be members of Schengen.”

The coordinated criticism from Italy and Finland underscores growing divisions within the European Union over migration management, with the latest Ceuta crisis once again putting the Schengen system under intense political scrutiny.