Spain’s reaction to the suspension of the Schengen agreements decided by Italy is “incomprehensible” and “unacceptable”. This is supported by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who in an interview with The Press accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of having “dramatised” the affair.
“We suspended Schengen, as required by the Treaties, because something extraordinary happened in Ceuta”, explained the deputy prime minister. Tajani recalled that, according to the mayor of the autonomous Spanish city Juan Jesús Vivas, “between 8 thousand and 11 thousand migrants” remained in the area, thousands of whom came from sub-Saharan Africa and were not repatriable.
The fear of secondary movements
The minister stressed that Ceuta is not part of the Schengen area, while Spain is, highlighting the risk of secondary movements of non-Moroccan migrants. «Where do they go after they arrive in Spain? Italy, as a destination, is the most exposed country,” he said.
The suspension, Tajani specified, concerns ports and airports and affects citizens of third countries. Furthermore, according to what the minister reported, Spanish intelligence had reported the risk of a new wave of arrivals by August 15th.
“We hope to be able to revoke the suspension soon, as soon as there is no longer any risk”, concluded Tajani, then returning to the position of the Madrid government: “It is Sanchez who has dramatised”.