Italy Calls for Spain to Be Suspended From Schengen Zone

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called for Spain to be suspended from Europe’s visa-free Schengen Area after thousands of migrants entered Ceuta, a Spanish exclave bordering Morocco.

Meloni said Italy was consulting relevant authorities and could consider exceptional measures, including suspending the Schengen agreement with Spain.

“We are ready to act, including through exceptional measures such as suspending the Schengen agreement with Spain,” she wrote on X.

She described the images emerging from Ceuta as “shocking” and said Italy would not remain silent over the situation.

Le immagini che arrivano da Ceuta sono impressionanti e dimostrano, ancora una volta, che l’immigrazione clandestina fuori controllo rappresenta una minaccia concreta per la sicurezza dei confini europei.

Mi sono confrontata con il Ministro dell’Interno Matteo Piantedosi.…

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) July 30, 2026

Most of the migrants, including children, reportedly reached Ceuta by swimming from Morocco. The Spanish government’s delegation in the enclave told AFP that at least nine people had died while attempting the journey.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also supported restrictions against Spain, arguing that uncontrolled migration posed a threat to national security.

“I am in favor of closing the Schengen area with Spain,” Tajani said.

He also criticized the Spanish government’s reported decision to grant citizenship to more than 500,000 irregular migrants, claiming that the move encouraged human trafficking.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Luis Albares rejected Tajani’s comments and accused him of using immigration for political purposes.

Albares described the remarks as inappropriate for a friendly European partner, saying Spain expected solidarity rather than “partisan demagoguery.”

The dispute has further increased tensions between the two European countries over immigration policy.

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has gone a step further by calling for the entire Schengen system to be suspended.

The Schengen Area includes 29 European countries that have abolished routine border checks at their shared borders.

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