Government Programme measures to reform border security
The Government Programme aims to ensure Finland's border security in all situations. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and other changes in the security environment require that border security be further strengthened.
The powers of the Finnish Border Guard will be developed in accordance with the requirements of the security environment. Sufficient resources, equipment and technology will be provided to the Border Guard. The Government will lay down provisions allowing the Border Guard to use technology more extensively when maintaining border security and will develop the regulation of technical surveillance.
The experiences of the pilot phase will be taken into account in the construction of the fence on the eastern border. The fence will be built as quickly as appropriate.
The aim is that public authorities have sufficient resources to combat hybrid influence activities. If necessary, the Government is prepared to exercise all its powers under the law in situations that seriously endanger border security.
The Finnish Border Guard has been granted, and will continue to receive, additional powers to improve the efficiency of its criminal investigations. It has been given new powers to prevent and investigate human trafficking and money laundering offences. In addition, the scope of its powers regarding secret intelligence collection and coercive measures has been expanded.
The legislation on the Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities, currently under preparation, aims to enable the Border Guard to meet the demands of the current operating environment and effectively combat crime within its area of responsibility. Criminal intelligence measures play a key role in preventing and combating organised crime related to illegal entry and in fighting serious crime that threatens border security.
The Border Guard’s powers related to preparedness will be enhanced to meet the demands of the changed security and operating environment. Legislative development for normal conditions focuses particularly on the Border Guard’s powers at the internal borders of the Schengen area and in sea areas.
The current legislative project concentrates particularly on the Border Guard’s ability to act in situations where border controls have not been reinstated at internal borders and on the use of new technology in those situations. The project will also prepare the necessary legislative amendments related to the Border Guard’s duties and powers in the surveillance of critical undersea infrastructure. The aim is also to supplement legislation on the powers of border control authorities during internal border controls, interception of the path of unmanned vehicles, and the Finnish Border Guard’s international cooperation.
Finland's security environment has changed fundamentally and the risks in the Border Guard's operating environment have increased. The Border Guard is prepared to manage border security incidents both on land and at sea, to deal with maritime accidents and to monitor Finland's territorial integrity.
The Border Guard will replace three outdated offshore patrol vessels with two new Turva-class offshore patrol vessels. The new vessels will upgrade the Border Guard’s capabilities to meet the demands of its duties and operating environment. The vessels will also support the important work of many other authorities at sea and in the archipelago.
The Border Guard will replace the Dornier surveillance aircraft with two new multirole aircraft. New, more capable multirole aircraft will significantly improve Finland's border security and the monitoring of territorial integrity.
The aim of the Border Guard is to use more modern technology in its key statutory duties, such as border control and the maintenance of border security and order along the border.
The purpose and area of use of technical surveillance carried out by the Border Guard were expanded through a legislative amendment that entered into force on 5 July 2024. The Border Guard was also granted new powers to carry out surveillance based on radio technology.It means the right to detect, locate, recognise, identify and monitor radio-frequency electromagnetic waves and radio equipment.
The legislative amendments respond to the requirements of the changed operating environment and, for example, hybrid influence activities that exploit migration. The goal is to build situation awareness for directing the Border Guard’s operational activities and supporting decision-making on border security.
Finland is preparing for wide-ranging influence activities, such as those experienced by eastern European countries in recent years. The fence will improve our border control here and now. It will help support the management of incidents at the border significantly.
In practice, a physical barrier is essential in the event of instrumentalised migration or large-scale illegal entry. The fence will also reduce Finland's dependence on the effectiveness of Russian border control.
Read more: The eastern border barrier fence | Finnish Border Guard
Finland is enacting legislation to combat instrumentalised migration. On 16 July 2024, the President of the Republic approved the bill for the Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, also known as the Border Security Act. The Act entered into force on 22 July 2024 and will remain in force for one year. The Act was extended with a legislative amendment confirmed on 27 June 2025 and entered into force on 1 July 2025. The Act will remain in force until 31 December 2026.
The aim of the Act is to improve border security and ensure that Finland has effective means at its disposal to combat instrumentalised migration, which is being used to put pressure on Finland. The aim is also to prepare for more serious instances of instrumentalised migration.
Schedule and objectives for border security measures
This table presents the Government’s key projects on border security, their schedule and objectives.
| Measure | Schedule | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Use of technology in maintaining border security | Approved on 28 June 2024 and the amendments entered into force on 5 July 2024. | Increase the use of modern technology in border control and the maintenance of border security. |
| Review of the Act on Crime Prevention by the Border Guard | Approved on 27 June 2025 and the amendments entered into force on 1 September 2025. | Improve the conditions for combating offences investigated by the Border Guard. |
| Securing the human resources of the Border Guard | The acts were adopted on 17 May 2024 and entred into force 15 June 2024. | Safeguard the operational capacity of the Border Guard and make flexible use of human resources in the event of incidents under normal conditions. |
| Review of the Finnish Border Guard’s powers related to preparedness | Comments 9 December 2025 - 21 January 2026. Government proposal during the 2026 spring session | Enhance the Finnish Border Guard’s powers related to preparedness to meet the demands of the changed security and operating environment. |
| Combating instrumentalised migration and strengthening border security | The act was adopted on 16 July 2024, entry into force 22 July 2024. The Act is in force for one year. The Act was extended with a legislative amendment confirmed on 27 June 2025 and entered into force on 1 July 2025. The Act will remain in force until 31 December 2026. |
Strengthen border security and effectively combat any attempts to exert pressure on Finland through instrumentalised migration. |
| Legislative project on the Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities | The project runs from 24 November 2025 to 30 October 2026. | Prepare provisions on the Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities and improve the Border Guard’s means of obtaining information on internal security threats related to its duties. |