The president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has responded to the criticisms from the Italian Executive of Giorgia Meloni regarding the management of the migration crisis in Ceuta, recalling that Italy records more than double the arrivals of irregular immigrants than Spain.
"Solidarity and empathy are optional. Respect for European treaties and data is not," he wrote in a message on X, reported by Europa Press, where he details the figures of irregular immigrant entries collected by Frontex between the years 2021 and 2026.
According to the data mentioned by the head of the Executive, during that period, 478,600 irregular immigrants would have entered the European Union through Italy; 340,600 via the Western Balkans route; 259,800 through Greece; 234,760 through Spain; and 48,000 through the eastern border.
"It is not a time to divide, it is a time to continue building a strong and united EU," he added next, referring to the words of Meloni's government, which suggested expelling Spain from the Schengen area after the massive entry of Moroccans in Ceuta.
The Italian leader stated that the scenes coming from the autonomous city were "shocking" and that, in her view, they show that "uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a real threat to the security of Europe's borders."
The first official response from Spain came through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who decided to summon the Italian ambassador in Madrid to convey the formal complaint about the proposal to leave Spain out of the common European space.
In his subsequent intervention from Ceuta, Sánchez defended his Government's migration strategy and stated that it has allowed for a decrease in the arrivals of irregular migrants in recent years.
Meanwhile, some European partners have aligned with the Italian position against Spain. The Prime Minister of Denmark, the Social Democrat Mette Frederiksen, asked the European Union to "consider all options, including the suspension of Schengen cooperation."
In the same direction, France decided to intensify controls at its border with Spain "in light of the situation observed in the enclave of Ceuta," by order of the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez. In turn, the Austrian Chancellor, Christian Stocker, demanded that Spain not allow "a single illegal migrant to reach the European continent," insisting that the regularization of foreigners has represented an "incentive" for illegal migration.