George Meloni
The decision was made at an emergency meeting at the Ministry of the Interior chaired by Matteo Piante dosi. According to Euronews, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had already made it clear the day before that Rome was prepared to take tough measures if the situation continued to deteriorate.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the temporary restrictions are being introduced in accordance with the Schengen Borders Code and provide for enhanced controls for those arriving from Spain by sea and air. At the same time, Italy has agreed with France on closer cooperation at the land border to prevent
Although Italy does not share a land border with Spain, Rome has simultaneously agreed with Paris to strengthen controls at the Franco-Italian border to prevent the possible movement of illegal migrants further into EU territory. Paris is also stepping up controls at its border with Spain. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the French authorities are ready to assist Madrid in resolving the crisis in Ceuta.
The decision was prompted by the unprecedented migration crisis in Ceuta. According to international media reports, between 50,000 and 60,000 people arrived in the Spanish enclave from Morocco in just one day. Spanish authorities stated that most of the migrants have already returned to Morocco, but the situation has caused serious concern among EU countries.
Spain sharply criticized Italy’s actions. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares summoned the Italian ambassador to provide an explanation and stated that the crisis in Ceuta is not related to the migrant regularization program previously implemented by the Spanish government. According to Madrid, the mass border crossing was instigated by criminal networks that exploited an interpretation of a recent ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court.
The situation quickly went beyond the scope of a bilateral dispute. A number of European countries, including Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Sweden, supported a tougher approach to protecting the European Union’s external borders. Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen stated that Spain had failed to secure the external border of the Schengen Area.
The European Commission urged against dramatizing the situation. European Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner noted that special rules under the Schengen Code apply to Ceuta and Melilla, and exit checks from the enclaves remain in place. According to him, there are no signs yet of a mass movement of migrants to other EU countries.
The Meloni government’s decision has sparked a heated political debate within Italy as well. The ruling parties called the temporary reinstatement of controls a necessary step to protect national borders. The opposition, on the other hand, accused the cabinet of attempting to exploit the migration crisis for political gain ahead of the parliamentary elections.
It should be noted that, according to the Schengen Code, EU member states have the right to temporarily reinstate border controls in the event of a serious threat to public safety or internal order. Such measures are exceptional and time-limited in nature.
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