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Projects and legislation Some of the projects, working groups and programmes currently underway in the Ministry of the Interior are outlined in these pages. The Government Project Register Hankeikkuna also contains information about current minist...

The aim of the legislative project is to enhance national security and the resilience of society.

Joint EU reserve: rescEU The European Union’s rescEU system consists of reserves designed to prepare for various disasters. There are two rescEU stockpiles in Finland: the rescEU CBRN Stockpile , which prepares for chemical (C), biological (B), ra...

EU Civil Protection Mechanism helps countries confronted with overwhelming crises The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has become one of the most important instruments of international assistance in recent years. The Mechanism covers various natural ...

Interoperability

24.7.2026 | Finland has sent material assistance to Ukraine from the EU-funded rescEU emergency stockpile for the sixth time. The shipment from Finland included supplies against chemical, biological and radiological threats as well as personal protective equipment, among other supplies. The total value of the shipment is about EUR 1.7 million.

30.3.2026 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to improve the efficiency of asylum procedures, bringing together key administrative branches and actors.

8.4.2026 | The Ministry of the Interior will allocate around EUR 44 million in EU funding to projects on border management, crime prevention and migration. The projects will improve the capabilities of security authorities, develop information systems, and secure resources for the authorities to manage migration. The funding will be granted from the EU Home Affairs Funds, under the autumn 2025 call for proposals.

16.4.2026 | The Government has submitted to Parliament a proposal for an act on the automated search and exchange of information for European police cooperation. The proposal would introduce amendments to national legislation required by the EU regulation known as Prüm II.

9.7.2026 | The Ministry of the Interior has launched a project to prepare the legislative amendments required for the national implementation of the EU Return Regulation.

2.6.2026 | Finland has delivered medicinal products to Ukraine from an EU-funded rescEU stockpile, which is hosted by Finland. The value of the delivery is about EUR 151,000. The need for assistance stems from Russia's war of aggression, and the delivery is part of EU support for Ukraine.

9.1.2026 | Finland has sent material assistance to Ukraine from the EU-funded rescEU strategic stockpile for the third time. The deployment from Finland included supplies to respond to chemical, biological and radiological threats, as well as medical items.

4.12.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a government proposal for an act on the automated search and exchange of data for police cooperation and for amending the Act on the Processing of Personal Data by the Police. The proposal introduces amendments to national legislation required by the EU Regulation on the automated search and exchange of data for police cooperation (the Prüm II Regulation). The deadline for submitting comments is Monday 19 January 2026.

13.11.2025 | Finland is applying for additional funding for its programme under the EU Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVI) to strengthen surveillance at the eastern border and in the Gulf of Finland. Finland is seeking funding of over EUR 16 million from the European Commission, following the Government’s decision on 13 November.

22.12.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has circulated for comment the draft government proposal on the national legislative amendments that relate to the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The deadline for comments is 2 February 2026.

28.6.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to prepare legislative amendments on the use of air carriers’ passenger name record (PNR) data in the prevention of terrorist offences and serious crime.

20.3.2026 | Finland will receive EUR 17 million from the European Union to strengthen the surveillance of the eastern border and the Gulf of Finland and improve Finland's ability to maintain an up-to-date picture of the situation. With support from the EU Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVI), the Finnish Border Guard will acquire unmanned surveillance systems that are resistant to interference with satellite positioning systems (GNSS disruptions).

3.2.2026 | The Ministry of the Interior is preparing a national plan that will form the basis for identifying critical entities and guide resilience development in all sectors.

16.10.2023 | A project has been launched to review whether the powers available to the Border Guard at the internal borders of the Schengen area need to be amended. The aim is to promote border security and to find out whether the powers of the Border Guard at internal borders are up-to-date compared to those of the border authorities of other EU Member States. 

9.6.2026 | The EU’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum will improve the control of the EU’s external borders and increase the efficiency of asylum and return procedures. The Government proposed that the President of the Republic approve the relevant bills for acts on Tuesday 9 June. The acts will enter into force on 12 June.

16.4.2026 | The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum establishes a common EU system to strengthen external border control, ensure effective identification of third-country nationals and enhance procedures for asylum and return. The Pact will be implemented in Finland through a series of national legislative amendments. The Government submitted a proposal on these amendments to Parliament on 16 April.

7.2.2024 | The Finnish Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project to implement the entries in the Government Programme concerning tighter conditions for family reunification. The aim is to introduce additional conditions for family reunification, as permitted by the EU Family Reunification Directive. 

11.12.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to enhance the Finnish Border Guard’s powers related to preparedness to meet the demands of the changed security and operating environment. The project will assess and prepare the necessary amendments to legislation for normal conditions.

31.10.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to develop the regulation on removal from the country.

15.7.2024 | Cooperation between the law enforcement authorities of the EU Member States and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) will be improved by developing automated search and exchange of data. The Ministry of the Interior set up a legislative project on 15 July 2024 to prepare the amendments to the national legislation that may be required by the EU Regulation.

3.6.2024 | The Government Programme aims to safeguard the activities of Finland’s existing shooting ranges and promote the establishment of new shooting ranges. The Finnish Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to examine ways to safeguard the activities of shooting ranges and to prepare the necessary legislative amendments.

20.12.2023 | Additional common EU reserves will be established in Finland. The new reserves will contain supplies such as medicines, medical supplies and medical devices, and they are part of the rescEU project. Finland has received a total of EUR 305 million in funding from the European Commission for the establishment of the reserves

26.9.2024 | On 26 September, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal for an act that aims to improve the exchange of information between EU Member States for the purpose of combating crime.

30.5.2024 | The EU’s strategic stockpiles in Finland can be deployed in major accidents and emergencies. Supplies must be ready for delivery within 12 hours. An extensive exercise was organised under the lead of the Ministry of the Interior from 27 May to 30 May 2024 where assistance was delivered to an accident area. 

15.10.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to prepare the necessary legislative amendments to implement the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Finland.

16.10.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a draft government proposal on temporary protection. As the crisis in Ukraine drags on, there is a need to reform the legislation on temporary protection. The project will prepare the necessary amendments to the Aliens Act concerning people who have fled the war in Ukraine but also other possible situations of temporary protection in the future. 

8.12.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project concerning the implementation of the EU’s proposed Directive on Critical Entities Resilience (CER), which is currently under consideration in the Union. The project will enhance national security and the resilience of society.  

5.12.2024 | The Government proposes amendments to the legislation on temporary protection. The aim is to streamline the granting of temporary protection from the perspective of both the beneficiaries and the authorities. The amendments concern people who have fled the war in Ukraine but also other possible situations of temporary protection in the future. The Government submitted the proposal for the amendments to the Aliens Act to Parliament on 5 December.

8.1.2025 | Finland has for the first time delivered assistance from an EU-funded rescEU stockpile to a country that has requested assistance. This week, a truckload of personal protective equipment and chemical detectors was delivered to Ukraine to respond to the needs of the country's rescue services.

3.9.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project to amend the legislation on temporary protection in order to extend temporary protection for Ukrainian nationals and their family members even after 4 March 2025. The project will prepare the necessary amendments to the Aliens Act.   

12.9.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a draft government proposal on tightening the conditions for family reunification. The conditions would be made more stringent in cases where a third-country national applies for a residence permit based on family ties. The legislative project aims to introduce the additional conditions for family reunification enabled by the EU Family Reunification Directive, and to draft the required amendments to the Aliens Act.

16.8.2023 | At the beginning of the year, Finland received substantial funding of EUR 242 million from the EU Commission for the establishment of a CBRN strategic reserve. Material will be stockpiled in the reserve in case of emergencies involving chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) threats, accidents and situations, especially in Northern and Eastern Europe, says Project Manager Tarja Rantala.

8.9.2023 | Recent news has shown that countries in Europe also need to be increasingly prepared for serious, protracted and large-scale crises. Even in the EU, Member States have the primary responsibility for preventing, preparing for and responding to natural and man-made disasters.

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17.1.2023 | The European Commission is funding the EU’s first chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear strategic reserve in Finland, under rescEU, which includes personal protective equipment, measuring equipment, pharmaceuticals and antibodies in Finland for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear accidents.

1.11.2021 | A total of 17 projects will receive funding from the last call for proposals of the programming period 2014–2020, organised in May under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). EU funding to be granted for the projects will amount to approximately EUR 7.5 million. The funded projects will develop the asylum system and promote receptiveness in society, capacity building for legal migration and the implementation of the return system and Finland’s quota refugee programme. 

17.9.2025 | Finland and Norway held a preparedness exercise on 15–16 September to prepare for serious accidents, crises and emergencies. The exercise entailed Finland sending medicinal products and medical supplies to Norway in a fictitious crisis scenario. The exercise was related to the EU’s shared emergency stockpiles, known as rescEU stockpiles, some of which are located in Finland.

4.8.2023 | Summary: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues. As a result of the war, around four million Ukrainians have applied for temporary protection in the Member States of the European Union. Other migration to the EU is also growing. Both the number of asylum applications submitted in the EU and irregular migration to the EU are on the rise. At the moment, migration pressure is concentrated on the Central Mediterranean route from Tunisia and Libya to Italy.

24.6.2024 | Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen and Norwegian Minister of Justice and Public Security Emilie Enger Mehl met in Finland on Monday 24 June. Together, the ministers paid a visit to the Southeast Finland Border Guard District at Finland’s eastern border and received a briefing on the progress of the border fence and other projects. 

24.11.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to assess the possible needs for legislative amendments to prepare for hybrid influencing that exploits migration. The project will assess the means of the current legislation that can be used to prepare for and respond to such hybrid influencing, as well as possible needs to amend the legislation in the administrative branch of the Ministry of the Interior. 

1.2.2021 | Today the Ministry of the Interior has opened a call for proposals under the Internal Security Fund (ISF). About EUR 4.2 million in EU financial support will be made available for projects that meet the objectives of the Fund. The call for proposals will be open until 31 March at 16.15.

6.5.2024 | The European Union will begin providing secure satellite connections to its Member States at the end of this year. The plan is to offer Members States high-speed broadband connectivity in areas where no terrestrial connections are available. In April, the Ministry of the Interior launched a preliminary study on the adoption of secure satellite connections.

7.4.2022 | The European Commission is proposing changes to the rules governing the European Union's Home Affairs Funds for the 2014-2020 period and the new 2021-2027 period. The proposal aims to allow for efficient use of the funds to support EU Member States to better respond to the increased migration from Ukraine and the needs arising from border control arrangements. The Ministry of the Interior informed the Parliament about the proposal by Union communication on 7 April 2022.

14.4.2020 | The information systems used by law enforcement authorities in the EU Member States will be developed to improve their interoperability. The aim is to ensure that the end-users of the systems (the police or border authorities, for example) have rapid and controlled access to the information they need for the performance of their duties.

30.5.2023 | On 30 May 2023, Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen will attend an informal meeting of EU civil preparedness ministers in Brussels on CBRN threats (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear). The coordination meeting was convened by Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič and the Swedish Minister of Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin.

3.10.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior launched the autumn call for proposals for the EU Home Affairs Funds on 3 October 2022. A total of EUR 86.7 million in funding can be applied for from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), the Internal Security Fund (ISF) and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVI). The call for proposals will end on 1 November 2022.

14.10.2021 | The Government has submitted to Parliament a government proposal for supplementary legislation on the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). The purpose of the proposal is to make amendments to the national legislation as required by the relevant European Parliament and Council regulations. 

13.8.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a draft government proposal on amending the Aliens Act. The aim of the proposal is to ensure that people who receive international protection can exercise their right to family life as fully as possible. A further aim is to make sure that the best interests of the child are upheld in family reunification cases involving minor children who receive international protection.

24.5.2021 | On 24 May, the Ministry of the Interior set up a project to carry out a study on a legislative amendment that would enable the granting of a temporary residence permit and an alien’s passport for a limited period to asylum seekers who have received a negative decision but who have found work. The purpose of the amendment would be to allow a person to travel to obtain a travel document from the authorities of their own country.

23.9.2021 | The development of interoperability between EU information systems will improve the identity management of third-country nationals staying in the Schengen area. The package includes a number of extensive EU information systems related to internal security, migration management and travel. The EU regulations concerning the framework for interoperability were adopted in 2019. The legislative propo...

26.11.2021 | Finland has received EU funding to build a rescue team for fighting forest fires. The European Commission granted co-financing for a joint project of the rescue departments of South Karelia, North Karelia, South Savo, North Savo and Kymenlaakso for the procurement of special equipment required for a rescue team fighting forest fires.

27.8.2014 | Right to Choose project launched under the patronage of President Sauli Niinistö

7.10.2021 | National implementation of the EU Directive on access to financial information moves a step closer. On 7 October, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal to amend the Act on the Bank and Payment Accounts Control System and the Act on the Financial Intelligence Unit.

8.6.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent a draft government proposal for supplementary legislation on the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) out for comments. The purpose of the proposal is to make amendments to the national legislation as required by the relevant European Parliament and Council regulations. 

23.9.2021 | A new act will be enacted for the management of the European Union’s Home Affairs Funds. The act on the programming period 2021–2027 lays down provisions on managing the programmes under the Funds and on implementing the aid system. On 23 September, the Government submitted to Parliament its proposal for an act on Home Affairs Funds.