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No EU country can unilaterally expel another from Schengen — Borrell

Amid a surge of migrants reaching Spain's Ceuta enclave, Italy proposed suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain, drawing a sharp response from Madrid. Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell clarified that no member state can unilaterally expel another from the bloc's free-travel zone.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 3 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 31, 2026 Published Aug 14

Lead

A spike in migrants reaching the Spanish enclave of Ceuta has triggered a diplomatic rift between Spain and Italy, with Rome proposing to suspend the Schengen Agreement and Madrid summoning Italy's ambassador. The dispute has drawn responses from several EU leaders, while former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has weighed in on the legal limits of such a move.

Coverage Comparison

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares summoned Italy's ambassador after Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome intended to suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain over the influx of migrants into Ceuta. Albares wrote on X: "This statement is unworthy of the foreign minister of a partner and friendly country from which we expect European solidarity... I have summoned the Italian ambassador."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also said she was ready to suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain over the migrant influx, and Tajani supported the idea, saying the migration crisis in Ceuta could pose a threat to Europe's overall security.

Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen called on EU countries to support Italy's proposal. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis called for the immediate suspension of Spain's membership in the Schengen zone and for establishing temporary border control along Spain's borders, the CTK news agency reported. Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said the situation in Ceuta is a challenge not only for Madrid but for the entire Schengen zone, though he said he would refrain from expelling Spain from the Schengen space.

Key Claims

More than 1,500 migrants have reached Ceuta from Morocco by swimming over the past week, according to Spanish media reports, which also said others crossed on foot. Some reports said up to 20,000 people may have entered the autonomous city, while Mayor Juan Jesus Vivas was quoted saying up to 60,000 may have entered over the past 24 hours. The exact number of arrivals has not been confirmed.

At least 24 people died attempting to reach Ceuta, according to the Cadena SER radio station, as reported by the EFE news agency. Another report carried by TASS cited at least 41 deaths, a figure that has not been independently confirmed.

Spain has deployed the military to Ceuta to help maintain security. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska plan to visit the city on July 31.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she has tasked two EU commissioners to address the situation, including by pressing Moroccan authorities to halt the flow of migrants.

France is ready to help Spain address the situation in Ceuta, the BFMTV television channel said, citing a source close to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Borrell's Statement

Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated that no European Union member state has the right to unilaterally expel another country from the Schengen Agreement or suspend its participation. "It just can't. Under EU law, no Member State can unilaterally suspend another's participation in Schengen," he posted on X, commenting on Italian authorities' statements regarding their readiness to suspend the free-travel agreement with Spain.

How this outlet told it

TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 4:30 AM UTC

Framing: Spain-Italy diplomatic tension — Neutral

Facts Included:

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares summoned Italy's ambassador
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome intended to suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain
Over 1,500 migrants have reached Ceuta from Morocco by swimming over the past week
Spain has deployed the military to Ceuta amid the migration crisis

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 5:00 PM UTC

Framing: EU response to migration crisis in Ceuta — Informative

Facts Included:

Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen called on EU countries to support Italy's proposal to suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tasked two EU commissioners to address the situation
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis called for the immediate suspension of Spain's membership in the Schengen zone
At least 41 people have reportedly died while trying to reach Ceuta

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC

Framing: EU law and Schengen Agreement — Informative

Facts Included:

No European Union member state has the right to unilaterally expel another country from the Schengen Agreement
Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated this in response to Italian authorities' statements
Thousands of migrants managed to reach Ceuta by swimming or walking around the breakwater
At least 24 people died attempting to reach the city

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimSpanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares summoned Italy's ambassador after Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome intended to suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain over the influx of migrants into the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 4:30 AM UTC
ClaimOver 1,500 migrants have reached Ceuta from Morocco by swimming over the past week.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 4:30 AM UTC
ClaimSpain has deployed the military to Ceuta amid the migration crisis to help maintain security.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 4:30 AM UTC
ClaimFinnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen called on EU countries to support Italy's proposal to suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 5:00 PM UTC
ClaimEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tasked two EU commissioners to address the situation, including by pressing Moroccan authorities to halt the flow of migrants.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 5:00 PM UTC
ClaimCzech Prime Minister Andrej Babis called for the immediate suspension of Spain's membership in the Schengen zone.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 5:00 PM UTC
ClaimAt least 41 people have reportedly died while trying to reach Ceuta.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 5:00 PM UTC
ClaimNo European Union member state has the right to unilaterally expel another country from the Schengen Agreement or suspend its participation.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC
ClaimThousands of migrants managed to reach Ceuta by swimming or walking around the breakwater separating the city from Morocco.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC
ClaimAt least 24 people died attempting to reach the city of Ceuta.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusContested via TASS — English as of Jul 31, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 3 articles consulted: TASS — English 10 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-14