“Russia is a bigger threat to the European Union than just defense as Moscow can use illegal immigration and other issues to undermine the Union,” the Italian Prime Minister said today.
Finland hosted the leaders of Italy, Sweden and Greece, as well as the EU’s high representative for foreign policy, in the northern province of Lapland at the weekend to discuss security in the northern region and the Mediterranean as well as challenges of migration in southern Europe.
“We have to understand that the threat is much wider than we imagine,” Meloni, who leads a conservative government, told a news conference in response to a question about Russia.
The threat to EU security from Russia or elsewhere will not stop when the conflict in Ukraine ends and the EU must prepare for it, he said.
“It’s about our democracy, it’s about influencing our public opinion, it’s about what’s happening in Africa, it’s about raw materials, it’s about the instrumentalization of immigration. We need to know that it’s a very broad concept of security,” Meloni said.
“The EU should do more to protect its borders”
The Italian prime minister called on the EU to do more to protect its borders and not let Russia or any “criminal organization” direct the flow of irregular migrants.
Some EU member states including Finland and Estonia accuse Russia of allowing irregular migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere to enter EU countries through Russia without proper checks, undermining EU security.
Moscow denies it is deliberately pushing irregular migrants into the EU.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said securing his country’s 1,340km border with Russia was “an existential” question for Finland and other EU member states and NATO allies.
Meloni said the EU was wrong to deal with immigration for years only on the basis of how to share the burden.
“Tackling illegal immigration only on the basis of the solidarity debate was wrong,” he said. “The result is that we have not been able to protect our borders (…) We want to defend our external borders and we will not allow Russia or criminal organizations to undermine our security.”
While NATO remains “the cornerstone” of EU security, the Union must deal with broader challenges, Meloni said.
“Security also means critical infrastructure, it means artificial intelligence, cyber security, raw materials. It means a new and more effective foreign and cooperation policy, it means immigration,” he said.
RES/EMP
