Finland has recently experienced a sharp increase in the numbers of political asylum applications at its border control points with the Russian Federation. Fearing an onset of a hybrid attack with migrants used to potentially overwhelm Finnish migration services, Finland acted in the national security interests and took the decision (Finnish government decision “Valtioneuvoston päätös SM/2023/4 from 16.11.2023) to close four of the border control points from 18.11.2023 for all traffic - Niirala, Imatra, Nujamaa, Vaalimaa. The railway border crossing Vainikkala has been already closed for passenger traffic  (though the cargo traffic continues). The border control points that remain open are located at a distance of at  least 700 km from Helsinki in sparsely populated areas. 

Who is affected?

We respect and fully support the need for national security at the borders, and support the drive to keep the  situation at the borders safe and manageable for Finnish authorities. However, with the measures currently taken Finland has deprived tens of thousands of people from EU and EEA areas, and from across the world, with the legally accepted documents and grounds for crossing the border of the scarce remaining possibilities to transit to and from the Russian Federation  

Crossing the border through the remaining border control points is expensive, physically demanding and time-consuming for people travelling directly from Finland and even more so for people transiting through the international airports at Vantaa, Lappeenranta and Tampere. 

Impact 

Closed border control points result in limitations to freedom of movement between the countries for the people legally permitted to do so. If the situation continues, closed border control points will severely disrupt family, friendly and economical ties between people, which are part of the humanitarian and human rights conventions that Finland  and the EU as a whole support. 

This measure also reduced the already limited possibilities for the people displaced by the ongoing conflicts, such as Israeli and Ukrainian citizens, to escape from Russia, if they so desire, and to reassemble their families scattered across countries. 

Students from Russia studying in various EU countries are already seriously affected by the sanctions applying to the movement of finances across the borders. With this new measure many will be deprived of the last possibility to physically bring from Russia the funds to support themselves and will have to make difficult decisions that eventually may affect the universities where they study. 

Proposal

We the undersigned propose that the government of Finland consider a more flexible approach to maintaining border security in Finland, that will permit the transit through the border control points Nuijamaa, Imatra, Vaalimaa, Vainikkala and Niirala to all people legally entitled by their travel, residence permit and citizenship documents to do so. We believe that such an approach will enable Finland to deal with the existing and potential threats at the border control checkpoints while upholding the humanistic values of the Republic of Finland and the European Union.