Helsinki (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – EU leaders at the North-South Summit discussed migration, security, and Russian threats, highlighting border challenges in the north and south.
In a session, North-South Summit arranged by Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Saariselkä from 21 to 22 December, a group of European Union leaders held comprehensive talks on Europe’s security challenges.Â
Prime Minister Orpo had invited Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis to take part in the meeting.
The working meetings at the summit concentrated on the European migration and security environment. The heads also attended a briefing on the northern security measurement by Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces Janne Jaakkola. The heads highlighted the importance of maintaining European defence to oppose the threat from Russia. The dialogue persisted from the one that began at the December European Council in Brussels.
In their talks on migration and the instrumentalisation of migration, the heads examined the topic from the standpoint of the European Union’s long outer land border to the north and the southern roads. Greece and Italy face certain stress due to migration in the eastern Mediterranean. Finnish Defence Forces General Matti Sarasmaa from the Border Guard highlighted the challenges presented by instrumentalised migration at Finland’s eastern boundary.
Finland Prime Minister Orpo stated that there are fundamental distinctions between instrumentalised migration in the south and north of Europe. For instance, migrants aiming to enter Finland are deliberately conducted to the boundary by Russia, whereas in the south, methodical crime and human smuggling are usually concerned.
