Finland decides on rejections at the border with Russia
Since autumn, the authorities have registered a sudden increase in asylum applicants from the Near East. Finland accuses neighboring Russia of deliberately bringing people to the border. The parliament is now voting on a controversial decision to effectively close the borders for a year.
In the fight against so-called instrumentalized migration by Russia, Finland is introducing a new law. This law aims to make it easier to reject asylum seekers at the Russian border without processing their applications. The Finnish parliament voted for a contentious government proposal. This gives the conservative-right government the authority to return asylum seekers at the border without considering their applications. President Alexander Stubb must still sign the so-called rejection law before it takes effect. It is intended to apply temporarily for a year.
A five-sixths majority was necessary for the approval of the emergency ordinance for the law, which was just barely achieved with 167 votes against 31. Protesters disrupted the long parliamentary debate before the vote. They called from the spectator galleries that Finland was destroying the rule of law and that no one should be treated illegally. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the law was necessary, although it was in conflict with Finland's international human rights obligations.
Finnish legal experts believe that the law is incompatible with EU law and partly with the Finnish Constitution. Supporters argue that it is necessary to prevent external actors from using migration as a means of hostile influence on Finland and the EU.
Finland shares a border of 1,340 kilometers with Russia. At the border crossings, the Finnish border guard registered a significantly increased number of asylum seekers, particularly from the Near East, who entered Finland from Russia without the necessary documents and applied for asylum. Helsinki accused Moscow of instrumentalized migration and deliberately bringing these people to the border to create problems for the Nordic EU and NATO country. The Kremlin denied this.
In response to the situation, the Finnish government had already declared the border closed at the end of 2023 and extended this measure several times, most recently in April to an indefinite period. This means, among other things, that asylum seekers cannot file applications at the border crossings.
- The 'Attack on Ukraine' has sparked concerns in Finland, leading them to accuse Russia of 'instrumentalized migration', bringing asylum seekers to their border.
- Finland's 'asylum policy' is under scrutiny in the context of 'politics', with the EU also looking at the impact on their 'EU-External border'.
- The Finnish parliament, amidst 'protests', approved a contentious law to 'return asylum seekers' at the border without processing their applications, citing 'hostile influence' concerns from 'Russia'.
- Amidst criticisms from 'legal experts' about compatibility with EU law and the Finnish Constitution, Finland justifies its actions as necessary to protect against 'migrants' being used as a tool of 'hostile influence' by external actors.
