Southern Europe in April 2026: the most important developments in society
In Southern Europe in April 2026 Italian society's attention turned to two disputes involving Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On 21 April a Russian state television host insulted her, and President Sergio Mattarella expressed solidarity with her; the Italian government denounced the remarks the next day. Also on 21 April Meloni called it "repugnant" if a Swiss hospital's bills for victims of the New Year's Eve bar fire in Crans-Montana fell on the victims or on Italy. Switzerland later asked Italy to pay medical costs for three young people, and Italy said it would join the trial as a civil plaintiff.
The row between US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV drew reactions across the region. Meloni called Trump's remarks about the pope unacceptable on 13 April, and the Senate president, Ignazio La Russa, said Italy would not accept a frontal attack on the pope. US Vice President JD Vance said the Vatican should "stick to matters of morality", and border chief Tom Homan said Vatican leaders "don't know" about immigration. The pope led a peace vigil on 11 April and later condemned the treatment of migrants as if they were animals.
Migration policy split in different directions. On 14 April Spain approved a plan to grant legal status to around 500,000 undocumented migrants, the largest such measure in its recent history; regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso criticised it, and migrants rushed to apply from 20 April. In Italy, a proposed payment to lawyers whose migrant clients return home drew criticism. The EU asked Greece to investigate allegations of migrant pushbacks.
Other events included the Greek government's announcement on 8 April that social media will be banned for children under 15 from 2027, and earthquakes of magnitude 5.9 in Greece on 8 and 24 April. Gaza-bound flotillas left Spanish ports, and Spain said it would not broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest because of Israel's participation. After a man in his eighties opened fire in Athens, his lawyer said he acted in "protest and despair", and court and social security workers went on strike.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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