Giuseppe Conte accuses Meloni of mishandling Ceuta migration crisis

Former Italian prime minister and Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte held a press briefing outside Montecitorio to denounce Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government over the situation in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Conte described the “Vannacci psychosis” as driving Italy to “scam operations”, questioning why Italy’s borders remain open while Spain deals with a crisis involving 50‑60,000 migrants, of whom 40,000 have been repatriated within 24‑48 hours.

He contrasted Spain’s actions with Italy’s record, noting that since Meloni took office 326,000 migrants have arrived but only modest numbers have been returned. Conte recalled the 2023 Lampedusa surge, when Meloni had urged the European Commission for assistance after 6,000 arrivals in a single day, and accused her of now seeking to suspend Schengen. He also demanded transparency on the deployment of about 700 Italian soldiers in Saudi Arabia, urging the government to report details to Parliament.

Conte’s remarks frame the migration issue as a test of Italy’s institutional dignity and call for acknowledgment of policy failures.