Finland prepared to accommodate asylum seekers in tents

This is a translation of the Finnish press release published 10 November 2015

The number of asylum seekers coming to Finland is on the rise again. Following a temporary reduction in the numbers in October, 776 asylum seekers were registered over the last weekend of late October and early November. Last week's statistics show that most of them came from Afghanistan, Iraqis being now the second largest nationality. The change reflects the situation in Europe – the number of Afghan asylum seekers has increased.

In relation to the population, Finland currently receives the fourth largest share of asylum seekers entering Europe. As the number of people applying for asylum keeps growing, Finnish authorities are no longer able to provide them with as high-quality reception services as before. Although new reception centres are being opened, the reception capacity will not be sufficient to accommodate all asylum seekers. Therefore, the authorities are prepared to resort to tent and container accommodation. Furthermore, there are not enough qualified NGOs and companies to maintain reception centres in the country.

Eastern border quiet

In October, a total of 7,058 asylum seekers arrived in Finland. Most of them still cross the western border at Tornio. Not much activity at the eastern border. There were 38 asylum seekers at the border crossing points of Raja-Jooseppi and Salla last week, which is about the same as the previous week. More than half of them are Afghans, the rest of the asylum seekers are Iraqis and Palestinians. The situation is also stable at the other border crossing points and elsewhere on the land border.

Migration to Europe is not expected to slow down in the near future. Finland calls for the EU to take coherent action to manage the situation. In the current situation, the EU does not have an overall picture of the national measures taken by member states. These may have a significant impact on migration flows in Europe.

Inquiries:
Ms Päivi Nerg, Permanent Secretary, tel. +358 50 456 1012, [email protected]