Government to closely monitor migration situation
On Friday 18 September, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Minister of the Interior Petteri Orpo held a press conference on the migration pressures on Finland. The Government will monitor the situation closely, and the authorities have increased preparedness in Northern Finland. Pressures have built up significantly in the Tornio region, in particular.
"The situation is extremely exceptional, and the Government will monitor it very closely. To me it seems that the situation caused by the flow of refugees might be even worse than our economic situation. The authorities have carried out enhanced surveillance at the border for several weeks now, and they will further reinforce their actions", said Mr Sipilä.
An enhanced operation will be launched at the border between Finland and Sweden. During this operation led by the police, instead of reintroducing border checks, the authorities will employ means of immigration monitoring, which will have a similar effect.
The police will send more resources to Northern Finland. The asylum investigation team of the police will be sent to Tornio this week. The team consists of officers from 11 police departments. The Border Guard will also deploy patrols to the area, but the main responsibility for the operation rests with the police.
Asylum seekers entering the country will be transferred to a registration centre as from Tuesday. Until then, they are sent to emergency accommodation, or to other facilities to be registered as asylum seekers. Preparations have been made to provide emergency accommodation in the Tornio region over the weekend, too.
“Yesterday 500 asylum seekers arrived in Finland, today we are expecting 800–1,000 more. We will take the actions necessary to maintain public order”, said Mr Orpo.
Discussions on the situation will also continue at EU level. The Justice and Home Affairs Council will hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday 22 September. An informal meeting of EU Heads of State or Government will be arranged on Wednesday 23 September.
The migration crisis and its effects on Finland were also discussed on Friday at the meeting of the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy Affairs.
Inquiries: Päivi Nerg, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Interior, tel. +358 50 456 1012
Recording of the press conference on 18 September
Press release of the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy Affairs on 18 September
Press release of the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs on 18 September (in Finnish)