Italy Suspends Schengen Free Movement with Spain Over Ceuta Migrant Surge

Italy has temporarily suspended the Schengen free-movement rules with Spain and ordered the closure of its air and sea borders with the country, citing the ongoing migrant crisis in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta.

The decision was announced on Thursday evening by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini. It was formally approved on Friday morning at a meeting of the Interior Ministry chaired by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, following assessments by Italy’s Committee for Migration Analysis and Border Security.

“The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary choice to safeguard the security of our citizens and defend the European borders. A measure provided for by the treaties and made unavoidable today,” Tajani wrote on X.

The move comes after thousands of migrants arrived in Ceuta in recent days. Italian officials argued that uncontrolled flows into EU territory pose security risks, including the threat of terrorism.

France has also tightened controls along its land border with Spain, President Emmanuel Macron announced, while offering support to Spanish authorities managing the emergency.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected the Italian decision, writing on X that “solidarity and empathy are optional. Respect for European treaties and the facts is not.” He pointed to Frontex data showing Italy recorded more irregular entries than Spain between 2021 and 2026 and called for a “strong and united European Union.”

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares summoned Italy’s ambassador to Madrid for explanations and condemned Tajani’s call to suspend Schengen. Spain’s Foreign Ministry said the Ceuta crisis was unrelated to the Spanish government’s migrant regularisation policy and had been triggered by an interpretation of a recent Supreme Court ruling that was exploited by criminal networks.

Several EU countries, including Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Sweden, expressed support for Italy’s position. Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen stated that Spain had “completely failed to protect the external border of the Schengen area.”

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner said he was in close contact with Spanish authorities and noted that special provisions in the Schengen Borders Code already apply to Ceuta and Melilla, with checks remaining in force on people leaving the enclaves.

The Italian decision has intensified political debate ahead of next year’s general election and drawn praise from several European far-right parties.

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