Italy Rejects Spanish Ultimatum
Rome-Madrid standoff escalates after mass migrant influx into Spanish enclave. Italy says it won't bow to deadlines, border checks extended indefinitely.
Rome-Madrid standoff escalates after mass migrant influx into Spanish enclave. Italy says it won't bow to deadlines, border checks extended indefinitely.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday rejected the deadline set by the Spanish government for lifting border controls, deepening the diplomatic crisis between the two European Union members. The Prime Minister's office stated that Italy does not accept ultimatums on matters of national security, directly responding to Madrid's demand to lift the checks by August 9.
The crisis erupted after thousands of migrants from Morocco entered Spain's enclave of Ceuta in North Africa last week. According to data cited by Dnevnik.hr, this involved 78,000 people, while Azernews reports that around 70,000 have since returned to Morocco. In response, Italy suspended the Schengen Agreement for travelers arriving from Spain a week ago, and Spain retaliated on Friday, August 8, with an identical measure on all routes from Italy.
From Prime Minister Meloni's office, it was communicated to the ANSA agency that the decision to suspend Schengen will not be reviewed at least until August 15. The statement emphasizes that the measures will remain in force "until security and terrorist risks for Italy are completely eliminated."
"Italy does not accept ultimatums or impositions from abroad regarding national security and border control," reads the reaction from Rome.
Spain, on the other hand, has announced that its checks on air and sea routes from Italy will remain in place at least until September 7. Passengers are already feeling the impact: long queues are forming at Italian airports as flights from Spain are diverted to special lanes, while in Madrid, police are checking passengers' documents while still on the plane, according to the BBC.
Despite the return of most migrants, nearly 1,400 minors remain in Ceuta, according to Dnevnik.hr. It is estimated that around one hundred people lost their lives during the dangerous crossing. On social media, new groups are already being organized, and a new wave of crossings is being announced for mid-August.
The key trigger of the crisis is cited as the decision by Spain's Supreme Court that migrants found at sea can no longer be automatically returned to Morocco. Madrid and Brussels blame criminal networks that, through misinformation, prompted thousands of people to attempt to breach the border.
Italy's move was immediately supported by Finland and Denmark, while the Czech Republic went a step further, calling for Spain's temporary expulsion from the Schengen Area. The Spanish government rejects the accusations, claiming that refugees from Ceuta physically cannot enter the Schengen zone and that the crisis does not threaten the functioning of the free-movement area.
