Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has warned that Russia poses a more widespread security threat than just the Russia-Ukraine war. On 22 December 2024, Finland hosted the leaders of Italy, Greece, and Sweden at an E.U. summit to discuss security in Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. Meloni, who leads Italy’s far-right government, said that Russia undermines E.U. security beyond the current conflict, particularly on the issue of migration. She and other E.U. leaders have accused Russia of allowing people from the Middle East to reach E.U. borders without proper checks. She also claimed that Russia encourages people from Africa to illegally migrate to Europe. Meloni pointed out that Italy and the Mediterranean border face an extra challenge with the sea border unlike the Finland-Russia land border because they cannot build physical obstructions to stop migrants.
Meloni wants to use connections with African countries to stop illegal migration to Europe at the source. This means having more asylum and immigration centers located outside the E.U. so that migrants do not even reach European borders. According to The Telegraph, she said that “We want to defend external borders and we don’t want to allow Russia or criminal organizations to undermine our security.” Other leaders concurred, with the Finnish Prime Minister calling the Finland-Russia border an “existential question,” according to Reuters.
Russia’s actions and the outcome of the war will likely impact the whole European landscape, so leaders are right to take action. But the new crackdown on immigration could create more problems than solutions, particularly since nativist and anti-immigration sentiments are already high in Europe. Targeting immigrants will only add fuel to the tensions, and might deflect attention from the more pressing issue of stopping the war, possibly even creating scapegoats out of immigrants already in Europe. There is also the question of how far this securitization will be taken, and whether refugees and asylum seekers will face some of the backlash. This has started to show up in current discourse among leaders with another recent gathering.
The December 22nd summit happened less than two weeks after the E.U. permitted Poland and other countries to suspend asylum rights for up to 60 days. Migration to the Polish border has increased by 66% since 2023, and many states believe this is a result of Russian and Belarusian authorities helping people migrate to destabilize the E.U. The freeze rights are only supposed to be used in extreme cases, yet the policy has already generated criticism from human rights groups. Another example of recent securitization is the E.U.’s plan to provide $179 million to border countries for surveillance tech, telecommunications, and other gear to monitor the borders.
Meloni’s statements in Finland reflect the larger trend of European states attempting to revitalize their defense. From border technology to immigration suppression, states are taking many actions to fortify themselves against Russian actions or interference. Meloni also called for more North-South cooperation within the E.U. to collaborate on these efforts. It is unlikely that these actions will stop the war, so leaders should probably take more cooperative and diplomatic actions to de-escalate the conflict rather than closing themselves off. It is also imperative not to target immigrants and refugees because that will likely cause more human rights violations.
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