Italy has called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen agreement after hundreds of migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco, a move Championed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and echoed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
At least nine people died during the border crossings. Morocco deployed tear gas and water cannons against crowds at the frontier. Spain responded by dispatching soldiers to Ceuta and reinforcing the Civil Guard with 70 additional officers, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged an immediate response to the crisis.
The dispute escalated diplomatically as Spain summoned Italy's ambassador to lodge a formal protest, with Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares accusing Tajani of weaponising immigration for political purposes. Tajani had criticised Madrid's decision to grant residency permits to roughly 500,000 irregular migrants earlier this year. European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner discussed the crisis with Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.