August 3, 2026
Italy will discuss the proposal to create detention centers for illegal migrants from EU member states in a number of countries, including Armenia, at the EU Council meeting to be held on August 4. The newspaper Corriere della Sera writes about this.
Earlier, 22 EU countries sent a letter to the leadership of the bloc, calling for strengthening the external borders of the EU and strengthening the fight against illegal migration.
“Italy, represented by the Minister of Interior Matteo Piantedosi, will present at the European Council session convened on August 4 a proposal to create new centers for the repatriation of illegal migrants on the Albanian model, which, however, will be financed by European funds and almost all of them will be located in Africa,” the newspaper writes.
The newspaper notes that the preliminary list of countries where it is possible to open such centers includes Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, Uganda, as well as Uzbekistan, Armenia, Montenegro and Ethiopia.
On July 30, thousands of young Moroccans gathered near the border between Morocco and the Spanish Ceuta (a Spanish exclave surrounded by Moroccan territory – ed.).
According to the latest data from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior and local authorities, 40,000-60,000 illegal migrants crossed into Ceuta in one day. Spanish authorities have urgently reinforced the border with additional police and military forces to control the situation.
According to the law enforcement agencies of Spain and Morocco, the impetus for this large-scale crisis was calls made on social networks, through which instructions and videos coordinating the actions of migrants were massively distributed.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has already announced that she is discussing with Spain the issue of suspending Schengen due to the influx of illegal migrants into the Spanish enclave. Finland and Denmark joined this proposal.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz demanded that Morocco take back the migrants who crossed to the Spanish city of Ceuta and announced that Madrid should take control of the situation in the enclave. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called to stop illegal border crossings.
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