Italy, Finland, and Denmark have positioned themselves in favor of suspending or excluding Spain from the Schengen area following the massive influx of people from Morocco into Ceuta.
The triggering factor was the massive crossing of people at the Tarajal jetty this Thursday. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior estimated about 50,000 entries, while the Government of Ceuta raised the figure to over 60,000.
EFE reported that at least 19 individuals died while attempting to swim to European territory. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior states that about 25,000 of the individuals who entered have already returned to Morocco.
The first diplomatic move came from Rome
The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that she is considering "extraordinary measures to protect the borders and ensure the safety of citizens, such as the suspension of the Schengen Area with Spain," after meeting with the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi.
"The images coming from Ceuta are shocking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a real threat to the security of European borders," Meloni wrote on her social media.
The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was more direct: "I am in favor of closing the Schengen area with Spain, and I have full confidence in the work of Minister Piantedosi. Irregular and uncontrolled immigration poses a danger to national security," he declared, as reported by EFE.
Tajani also linked the crisis to the extraordinary regularization of immigrants approved by the Spanish government, although he mistakenly equated it to a grant of citizenship, when the process only provides for residence and work authorization.
Spain responded to its neighbors
The Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares summoned the Italian ambassador in Madrid and also left a message for Italy on social media.
Albares described Tajani's statements as "partisan demagoguery," pointing out that the events in Ceuta stem from a ruling by the Supreme Court that prohibits immediate returns for individuals who enter by swimming.
This Friday, the Minister of the Interior of Finland, Mari Rantanen, from the far-right party True Finns, joined the pressure against the government of Pedro Sánchez.
"Spain has completely failed to protect the external border of the Schengen area against irregular migration. Countries that do not fulfill their obligation to protect the external border cannot be members of Schengen," he wrote on his social media.
Rantanen described what happened as a "migratory invasion" and an "absolute failure" of Spanish immigration policy, drawing a parallel to Finland's decision to keep its border with Russia closed since 2023.
Denmark also positioned itself against Spain this Friday. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged the EU to "consider all options," including the suspension of Schengen cooperation. She confirmed having spoken with Meloni to bring European leaders together regarding the crisis.
The migration crisis that overwhelmed Ceuta on Thursday also elicited more moderate reactions: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson urged Spain to regain control without calling for its exclusion from Schengen.
Meanwhile, the European Commission defended Madrid by reminding that the Schengen Borders Code already has special rules for Ceuta and Melilla and that there are no recorded flows of migrants towards the rest of the EU.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, described the images as "unacceptable" and called for "an immediate halt to the dangerous crossings," offering coordination with Morocco and a potential strengthening of Frontex.
The suspension of Spain from the Schengen area cannot be unilaterally decided by any member state. Such a radical measure would require a decision at the European level, an unprecedented scenario in the history of the Union.
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