Entire eastern border can be closed

“There has been a great deal of public debate and people have been asking about whether it is possible to close the entire eastern border. If needed, the entire eastern border can be closed,” says Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen.

Under section 16 of the Border Guard Act, the Government may decide to close border crossing points or restrict cross-border traffic for a fixed period or until further notice, where such measures are deemed necessary to prevent a serious threat to public order, national security or public health. In addition, the Government may centralise the submission of applications for international protection at one or more border crossing points in case of an exceptionally high number of migrants arriving in a short period of time, or if there is information or a justifiable suspicion that the entry is taking place due to the influence of a foreign state or another actor.

The explanatory memorandum to the Government decision on the eastern border of 22 November 2023 does not take a stand on the closure of the entire eastern border, as it was not examined in the decision. Thus, the memorandum did not assess the situations in which it is possible to close the entire eastern border.

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