Minister Rantanen and Commissioner Brunner: Finland's strong eastern border secures all of Europe
EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner visited Finland on Monday 15 September at the invitation of Finnish Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen. During his visit, he learnt about the arrangements at the Vaalimaa border crossing point and the fence being built on the border.
The discussions between the Minister and the Commissioner highlighted the role of the countries on the EU’s external border in guaranteeing the security of the entire Union. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre-long border with Russia. More effective surveillance of the border will strengthen the security of the EU as a whole in the current landscape of hybrid threats and instrumentalised migration.
“We must make sure that the external border between Finland – and the whole of Europe – and Russia remains safe. The Commission's support for border countries is essential. We were very pleased that President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen gave a strong message on this subject on her earlier visit to Finland. The EU takes the threat from Russia seriously, just as we do,” says Minister of the Interior Rantanen.
Although the situation at Finland's eastern border is currently stable, the threat of instrumentalised migration remains high.
“Finland faces an extraordinary situation, sharing over 1,300 km of border with Russia. The Commission is supporting Finland to protect our common EU border, including against weaponisation of migration by Russia and Belarus and other hybrid threats. Over the past two years, we have provided EUR 80 million to Finland in targeted funding. Frontex is also launching a EUR 150 million call for equipment that is 90 per cent EU funded, mainly for drones,” Commissioner Brunner says.
In the Commission's proposal for the EU’s next multiannual financial framework, EUR 1.6 billion is proposed for Finland's home affairs sector, including border control, which is EUR one billion more than before. However, there are also immediate needs for additional funding, such as for developing drone and anti-drone capabilities for border control.
“We are monitoring the development of threats and will respond to them using all necessary means. Frontline Member States on the eastern border must have the tools to detect and counteract drones, as well as domestic capabilities to use this technology for external border control. To this end, Finland, Poland and the Baltic States approached the Commission at the end of August to request more funding for these tools during the current funding period,” Minister Rantanen says.
“We are working on the Eastern Flank Watch to improve real-time surveillance of EU countries bordering Russia, including setting up a drone wall. We will provide this within the current period, still in the next two years. Under the next long-term EU budget from 2028 on, Finland is set to receive almost three times more than in the previous period for migration, border and security investments,” Commissioner Brunner says.
The meeting also discussed migration. One of the priorities of Finland's migration policy is to make returns more effective. The Commission has also stated that EU migration policy is sustainable only if the effective return of those who do not have the right to remain in the Union can be ensured.
“Well-functioning returns are an important element in ensuring the security of the EU as a whole. People who do not have the right to stay, people who have broken the law and people posing a security threat must be returned quickly and efficiently. Finland supports joint European efforts to make returns more effective,” Minister Rantanen says.
“At present, only one in five people with no right to stay in the EU are returned. Those not returned can move freely between Member States, exploiting the system. That is unacceptable. With our proposal for a new common European approach to returns, we address these challenges and get our European house in order. We now call on the European Parliament and the Council to ensure a negotiating mandate is adopted swiftly,” Commissioner Brunner says.
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