Southern Europe in September 2026: the most important developments in politics
Southern European politics in September 2026 centred on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose government became the longest-lasting in Italy since the Second World War in early September. She launched her campaign for the 2027 elections at a rally in Bari on September 5, and on September 12 said early elections could be held a few months ahead of schedule. Her electoral reform advanced, with the Senate clearing it on September 15 and a majority bonus threshold included. On September 24 her government approved a school decree banning the burqa and niqab in schools and capping the number of foreign pupils per class, with fines of up to 1,000 euros for parents who do not ensure their children learn Italian. On September 28 a Rome court convicted three Egyptian security officials of kidnapping Giulio Regeni in 2016 but acquitted them of murder; Meloni said cutting ties with Egypt would not bring the truth, while Schlein called on the government to enforce the verdict.
In Spain the dominant issue was the Ceuta border surge and relations with Morocco. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said there was no solid proof that Morocco orchestrated it; Vox called for breaking diplomatic ties and filed a complaint against Sánchez and the interior minister, and Spain's top criminal court opened an investigation. The Ceuta government delegate resigned on September 28. The Supreme Court refused to apply the amnesty law to Carles Puigdemont. Housing and evictions became a dispute with Madrid after the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, with the government announcing housing measures on September 29. The Spanish Senate rejected a friendship treaty with France, and Sánchez apologised to Emmanuel Macron on September 30.
Elsewhere, a Maltese jury acquitted a businessman in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on September 2, Greece and Turkey traded statements over islands and maritime areas before Mitsotakis and Erdoğan stressed dialogue, and Cyprus prepared to review 12,000 golden visas.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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