Italy calls for suspension of Spain's membership in 'Schengen'.. after the Ceuta crisis - Sarmad

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called for suspending Spain’s membership in the Schengen Area after hundreds of irregular migrants entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco.

The Schengen Area is a zone comprising 29 European countries that have formally abolished border controls at their shared frontiers.

Meloni’s comments follow similar remarks made earlier by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Meloni, who belongs to the far-right, wrote on X, “We are convening the relevant authorities, and once the meetings conclude, we will be ready to act, including taking exceptional measures… such as suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain.”

She added that images of migrants arriving in Ceuta were shocking, noting that most of them, including children, had to swim to reach the enclave.

Spanish authorities announced that they had recovered the bodies of nine people who died while attempting to swim to Ceuta.

For his part, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on Friday that he had summoned the Italian ambassador to Madrid, Giuseppe Bocchino Gromaldi, to protest against statements by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had endorsed proposals to reimpose border restrictions or suspend certain Schengen Area provisions regarding Spain in the wake of the migration crisis.

Albares stated that Tajani’s remarks were unacceptable for the foreign minister of a partner and friendly country, emphasizing that Spain expects European solidarity, not political posturing.