Meloni Seeks to Isolate Spanish PM Using Ceuta Migrant Images, French Paper Reports

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is positioning herself as Europe’s leading voice on migration ahead of the 2027 parliamentary elections, where identity politics is expected to dominate the campaign.

The French newspaper Le Monde highlighted on Tuesday how migration has become an electoral tool for European politicians. It cited earlier statements by French President Emmanuel Macron calling for solidarity with Italy — “not to leave Italy alone” — in managing migration flows.

Shifting Alliances and Frontex Data

Berlin has moved beyond its initial hostile stance, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the Italian island of Lampedusa to present a 10-point action plan aligned with Meloni’s position.

According to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), irregular arrivals into Europe fell by a historic 40% in the first five months of this year.

Ceuta Crisis and Political Instrumentalization

A surge of migrants began on 30 July last year, when 50,000 foreigners arrived in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta. At least 72 died there, according to Madrid.

This triggered a chain of political events reminiscent of those previously seen in Lampedusa.

Le Monde states that, three years after receiving support from her European partners, Meloni is now using images from Ceuta as leverage to isolate Spain — specifically targeting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Election Timing and Strategic Messaging

Meloni’s efforts — combining politically charged rhetoric laced with factual distortions and diplomatically effective maneuvers — coincide with the launch of Italy’s 2027 parliamentary election campaign. Her objective is to project an image of European leadership on migration.

Le Monde recalls that in 2023, Meloni solidified her profile during a visit to Lampedusa. During the 2024 European Parliament election campaign, von der Leyen was observed using phrases on the island that closely mirrored Meloni’s own language — prompting surprise among Italian journalists.

Since then, convergence between mainstream right-wing and far-right forces has become a decisive factor across Europe. Yet appeals for solidarity — such as von der Leyen’s 2023 call — no longer draw attention.

Diplomatic Coordination and Ministerial Action

Three years later, Meloni — who had previously urged other EU countries to receive migrants arriving in Rome — imposed restrictions on air and sea travel with Spain in response to images emerging from Ceuta.

In coordination with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, a social democrat advocating restrictive migration policies, Meloni rallied 20 other heads of state and government, Le Monde reports.

Together, they sent a joint letter to the three EU presidencies calling for a video conference of interior ministers. This occurred despite the fact that none of the individuals who entered Ceuta irregularly during the brief crisis reached mainland Europe.

In 2023, all migrants arriving in Lampedusa were transferred, per standard procedure, to reception centers in Sicily or on the Italian mainland — consistent with Lampedusa’s inclusion in the Schengen Area.

External Goals and Internal Contradictions

Although the Ceuta incident bears no direct connection to Lampedusa procedures, Meloni continues to pursue progress toward establishing migrant detention centers outside EU borders — a goal advanced during Tuesday’s interior ministers’ meeting, which Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez separately requested.

However, as noted Sunday within Meloni’s own party, the primary aim of these maneuvers is to isolate Sánchez — a left-wing figure whose policy on regularizing foreign workers has become the subject of disinformation campaigns in Italy.

This disinformation is disseminated even inside the Italian government itself, which is simultaneously implementing a program to issue 500,000 residence permits to foreign workers by 2028, according to Le Monde.

Challenges from Within the Right

Meloni also faces pressure from within her own political flank: former General Roberto Vannacci and his new party, “National Future.”

Vannacci currently holds 7% support in polls — surpassing all of Meloni’s coalition partners. While Meloni rose to power pledging to end irregular migration, Vannacci advocates for ethnic homogeneity in Italy through mass deportations.