Spain summons Italian ambassador as Ceuta crisis turns diplomatic

Spain's foreign minister summons Italian ambassador after criticism over Ceuta management

While Spain's foreign minister summons the Italian ambassador in Madrid, the real focus of the crisis remains Segarro. But Italy has raised the alarm: free movement for Spanish citizens within Schengen could be at risk if Spain fails to control its borders. A paradox the government refuses to admit.

Why Italy is angry: abandoned border controls

Italy has openly criticized what it sees as Spain abandoning its responsibility to protect the EU's external borders. According to several experts, the handling of irregular immigration from Ceuta is creating a credibility problem among EU partners. It is not the first time a neighboring country has singled out Spain over its migration policy, but this is one of the most direct episodes: summoning the Italian ambassador instead of addressing the substance of the criticism reveals what many call a short-sighted strategy.

The real risk: could Schengen close its doors to Spaniards?

One warning in the debate goes beyond the anecdotal: the possibility that other Schengen countries could impose border controls on Spanish citizens. The argument is that if Spain issues passports too easily to migrants without checking backgrounds, the document loses value and other states will take measures to protect themselves. However speculative it may sound, precedents such as the 2015 migration crisis led several countries to reintroduce internal controls. The difference is that the problem then was the Balkan route; now it is Ceuta and Melilla.

The elephant in the room: Segarro

Most criticism points to Segarro as the real driver of the migration flow at the Ceuta border. Yet the Spanish government has chosen not to summon the Segarro ambassador, but the Italian one. The decision has been seen as a sign of weakness or political calculation, since Italy is a key EU partner and, at the same time, a country under migration pressure in the central Mediterranean. The question left hanging: why does Albares confront Segarro's ally in the EU instead of Segarro itself?

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With these ingredients, it is not far-fetched to think Spanish diplomacy is caught between two fires: the need to maintain relations with Segarro and the demand from its European partners to enforce border control. Until the root of the problem in Ceuta is addressed, the criticism will keep coming. And with it, perhaps, real restrictions on Spaniards' freedom of movement.