Albares summons the Italian ambassador after the proposal to close Schengen with Spain due to the migratory crisis in Ceuta

The migratory crisis in Ceuta has opened a new diplomatic front between Spain and Italy. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has summoned the Italian ambassador in Madrid, Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi, after Italy's Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, raised the possibility of closing the Schengen area with Spain, considering that the situation poses a problem for European security.

The controversy erupted after a message published by Tajani on the social network X, in which he assured that "irregular and uncontrolled immigration represents a danger to national security". The Italian minister attributed the crisis in Ceuta to a supposed massive regularization promoted by the Spanish Government and affirmed that the granting of citizenship to "more than 500,000 irregular immigrants" would have incentivized human trafficking, thus advocating for a tightening of border measures.

Albares's response came shortly after and was particularly forceful. The head of Spanish diplomacy described his counterpart's statements as "unbecoming of a Foreign Minister of a partner and friendly country" and demanded "European solidarity and not partisan demagoguery". Furthermore, he denied that the events in Ceuta were related to Tajani's statements and assured that the situation responds to the fulfillment of a judicial resolution, announcing the summoning of the Italian ambassador to convey the Spanish Government's displeasure.

This diplomatic clash raises tension between both countries in the midst of a migratory crisis and places the debate on the functioning of the Schengen area at the center of the European agenda. The possibility raised by Italy of temporarily restricting free movement with Spain adds a new political dimension to a crisis that already transcends the national scope and threatens to open a new conflict within the European Union.