Meloni: Russia poses a threat to EU security in many ways

2024-12-22 15:46:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday that Russia poses a greater threat to the security of the European Union than just from a defense point of view as Moscow can use illegal immigration and other issues to undermine the bloc.

The prime ministers of Finland, Italy, Sweden, Greece as well as the head of the EU's foreign policy met at the weekend in Lapland in northern Finland to discuss security in the Nordic region and the Mediterranean, as well as migration challenges in southern Europe.

"We have to understand that the threat is much greater than we can imagine," Ms. Meloni said at a news conference when asked about Russia.

The threat to EU security from Russia or other actors will not disappear after the conflict in Ukraine ends, and the EU must be prepared for that, she said.

"It's about our democracy, about the influence that can be exerted on our public opinion, about what happens in Africa, it's about raw materials, it's about the instrumentalization of migration. We have to understand that it's about an idea greatly enhanced security," said Mrs. Meloni.

She called for the EU to do more to protect its borders and not allow Russia or any "criminal organization" to control the flow of illegal immigrants. Some EU members, including Finland and Estonia, have accused Russia of allowing illegal migrants from the Middle East and other countries to enter EU states through Russia without proper checks, undermining EU security. of.

Moscow has denied that Russia is deliberately allowing illegal migrants to enter the EU.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said securing his country's 1,340 km border with Russia is "an existential issue" for Finland and other EU members and NATO allies.

Ms. Meloni said that the EU has been wrong to treat the issue of immigration over the years simply from the point of view of burden sharing.

"Treating the issue of illegal immigration only as a solidarity-based debate was wrong," she said. "The result is that we have not been able to protect our borders... We want to protect 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 bloc has faced broader challenges, said Ms Meloni, who leads a conservative government.

"It probably also means critical infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cyber security, raw materials, supply chains. It means a new and more effective foreign and cooperative policy, but also immigration," she said./VOA