A Finnish minister said Finland backs the call by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to suspend Spain from the Schengen free-movement zone, citing the migrant crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The Ceuta crisis has pushed tens of thousands of migrants into the enclave, prompting a series of European diplomatic reactions.
On Friday, a Finnish minister stated that Finland backs Italy's call to suspend Spain from the Schengen free-movement zone, citing the mass migration crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The minister's name and portfolio have not been disclosed.
Earlier on Thursday evening (July 30), the crisis triggered a cascade of European diplomatic moves. An Italian government source first told Reuters that Rome was considering suspending Schengen with Spain. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani then posted on X that he supports suspension, prompting Spain to summon Italy's ambassador for a reprimand. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the images from Ceuta as 'shocking' and confirmed she is prepared to take extraordinary measures, including suspending Spain's participation in Schengen. France's Interior Minister ordered reinforced border controls with Spain, and Spain boosted security deployments in Ceuta, including divers. Madrid rejected calls to declare a national emergency, stating that migration alone does not justify invoking emergency powers.
As The Zioneer reported earlier this week, Spain's Interior Ministry estimates that approximately 49,000 migrants entered Ceuta in a 24-hour period, pushing local infrastructure to its limits. The enclave, a European territory on the African mainland, has become a flashpoint for broader disputes over border security and migration policy within the European Union.
The Finnish minister's remarks remain unconfirmed by other sources, and the specific mechanism for a potential suspension of Spain from Schengen has not been detailed.
7 developments
- DevelopingAbu Ali Express: Spanish police, soldiers not intervening in Ceuta as migrants mock authorities
- DevelopingSpain boosts security deployment in Ceuta, including divers, amid migrant surge
- DevelopingSpain summons Italian ambassador after Tajani backs closing Schengen border over Ceuta migrant crisis
- DevelopingFrench Interior Minister orders reinforced border controls with Spain over Ceuta migrant crisis
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