Minister of the Interior Orpo: EU free movement in danger

Minister of the Interior Petteri Orpo will attend the informal meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers in Amsterdam on 25 January. The Ministers will discuss border control, the future of the Schengen system, and counterterrorism.

The migratory pressure on Europe has put border control in member states and the functioning of the Schengen area to the test.

- Questions concerning the Schengen system, border management and migration should be addressed as a whole. We must find a common European solution to the refugee crisis, otherwise free movement within the EU is in danger, says Mr Orpo.

Finland supports closer cooperation on border management

The Commission's 'Border Package' proposal is a step towards a common European solution. The proposal presented in December includes strengthening the role of Frontex and enhancing border management cooperation between member states.

Finland supports closer cooperation on border management. Besides national border control and better cooperation, we also need tools enabling joint EU action to be taken to intervene in situations threatening the functioning of the Schengen area.

Finland also supports strengthening the role of Frontex. In relation to its size, the Finnish Border Guard has been one of the most important participants in operations coordinated by Frontex. In future, the member states would be obliged to take more active part in the operations.

Better information exchange to counter terrorism

The Justice and Home Affairs Ministers will also discuss the remaining obstacles to the exchange of information between different authorities and how these could be removed.

In addition, they will examine national best practices to prevent violent extremism.

Inquiries
Ms Laura Yli-Vakkuri, Director General, tel. +358 295 488 250, [email protected]
Mr Mikko Kortelainen, Special Adviser, tel. +358 50 301 8334 (requests for interviews with Minister of the Interior Orpo)