They were furious: "Unacceptable!"

He described Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s reaction to the temporary suspension of the Schengen Agreement as “completely unacceptable.”

In an interview with La Stampa, Tajani said that Italy had not created any problem by suspending Schengen, but had acted in accordance with European treaties following extraordinary events in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

Asked to comment on the fact that Ceuta is not part of the Schengen Area and that Italy’s measure was merely symbolic, Tajani said that this was not the case.

“Ceuta is not part of the Schengen Area, but it is a Spanish enclave, and Spain is part of Schengen. The risk, as the Spanish press has also reported, is posed by the secondary movements of migrants who are not Moroccan. Where do they go after arriving in Spain? Italy, as a destination, is the country most exposed to this risk. We are not Germany or Norway,” he said.

Tajani said that around 15 illegal migrants who had previously arrived from Spain had already been stopped in Italy.

He also said it should not be forgotten that some of the migrants had previously been expelled for jihadist activities.

“We need a little order. We are not against Spain, but we have an obligation to protect our borders. There is no doubt that arrivals from sub-Saharan Africa pose a jihadist threat. The Spanish police themselves have detained suspicious individuals,” Tajani said.

“There is a risk of a new wave”

Speaking about the proportionality of Italy’s response, Tajani said the decision applied to ports and airports and concerned third-country nationals.

“According to data from the Spanish intelligence services, there is a risk of a new wave by mid-August. Maintaining the measure is a precautionary step. We hope to lift the suspension soon, as soon as there is no longer any danger. Sánchez is the one who dramatized the situation,” Tajani said.

Asked about the praise Spain had received from European countries for the way it handled the crisis, Tajani replied that Madrid “did not monitor the situation as it should have.”

Speaking about European migration policy, Tajani said that Italy supports legal migration that benefits the economy.

Since Saturday, Spain has imposed border controls on travelers arriving from Italy. The measure is currently expected to remain in place until September 7, in response to the Italian government’s decision not to lift the controls it introduced on August 1 for travelers arriving from Spain, following the mass entry of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.