‘To protect our citizens’: Italy temporarily suspends Schengen agreement with Spain over Ceuta migrant crisis

ROME: Italy has temporarily suspended its open-border travel with Spain following a major surge of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, stating that the decision was taken to safeguard Italian citizens and protect European frontiers.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced the decision to pause the Schengen agreement with Spain on Friday. He explained that the provisional step had become necessary after thousands of migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco.

“The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary choice to safeguard the security of our citizens and defend the European borders,” Tajani said in a post on X.

La sospensione temporanea di #Schengen con la Spagna è una scelta necessaria per tutelare la sicurezza dei nostri cittadini e difendere le frontiere europee. Una misura prevista dai trattati e resa oggi ineludibile. La crisi dei migranti a #Ceuta ci ricorda che la gestione dei…

— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) July 31, 2026

The foreign minister highlighted that the move is permitted under European Union regulations and had become “unavoidable” as a result of the border situation in Ceuta. The pause will remain in effect for one month starting Saturday, according to the Italian interior ministry.

Tajani further referred to the developments in Ceuta as a “shared responsibility” among EU member states, calling on European partners to act collectively to prevent unmonitored migration into the bloc. “We must work together to prevent uncontrolled migrant flows from entering EU territory, with all the consequent risks and the threat of terrorism, which must be countered without hesitation,” Tajani added.

The directive followed remarks by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who urged decisive action after characterising footage from Ceuta, showing mass attempts to enter Spanish land, as “shocking”. Meloni indicated that Rome stood ready to enforce emergency provisions to secure its national borders and ensure public safety.

Ceuta and Melilla, Spain’s two territories in North Africa, serve as the European Union’s sole land borders with the African continent and regularly experience migration pressure. However, Spanish authorities noted that the latest arrivals represented an unprecedented volume. (ANI)