Portugal’s Foreign Minister, Paulo Rangel, praised Morocco’s efforts to contain migrant flows, describing the measures taken by Moroccan authorities in this regard as “impressive.”
Rangel said that, in his country’s assessment, the entry of migrants into Ceuta did not constitute an “immediate threat” to the Schengen Area or to Europe’s shared space for the free movement of people.
The Portuguese minister explained, during his participation in the Ambrosetti Forum in the Italian town of Cernobbio, that his country had been monitoring the situation in Ceuta “hour by hour,” receiving updates on developments in the crisis and, in turn, relaying relevant information, given Portugal’s proximity to Spain and its potential exposure to any large-scale migrant flows.
In the same context, the Portuguese Foreign Minister affirmed that his country supports convening a meeting of European Union interior ministers, in response to a call by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, to discuss the repercussions of the Ceuta crisis and strengthen European coordination on migration and border security.
Regarding the Italian government’s decision to suspend the application of the Schengen Agreement and impose border controls on people arriving from Spain, Rangel played down the tension between Rome and Madrid, stressing that Spain and Italy are “friends” and that this “minor” tension would soon be overcome.