Legislative amendments related to border security help prepare for hybrid influence activities that exploit migration

The Border Guard’s preparedness and capacity to respond to incidents under normal conditions will be improved by reviewing the legislation on the powers of the Border Guard. The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to assess the need to amend border guard legislation. In particular, the aim is to draw up the necessary legislative amendments to prepare for hybrid influence activities that exploit migration.

The project is a follow-up to the Ministry of the Interior’s report where a working group led by the Ministry made a preliminary assessment of the legal possibilities to improve ways of responding to such potential hybrid influence activities against Finland that exploit migration. The need to prepare the report arose in summer 2021 following Belarus’s active influence operation at its borders with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. With respect to the legislation on border security, the working group identified a number of issues that need to be clarified and assessed in more detail.

The Border Guard’s capacity to prepare for and respond to various incidents effectively under normal conditions was improved by the legislative amendments that entered into force on 1 April 2019. However, as the operating environment has changed significantly, it is necessary to ensure that the regulation is up to date. 

Inquiries:
Anne Ihanus, Senior Adviser for Legislative Affairs, tel. +358 295 421 608, [email protected]