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Finland passes a law that makes it easier to turn away refugees at the border. This is intended to protect them from Russia – but could violate EU law.
Helsinki – The external border between the NATO and Russia is around 1,600 kilometers long – more than 1,300 kilometers of which run between Finland and Russia. Moscow has long been accused of hybrid warfare, which includes the exploitation of refugees and migrants. On Friday (July 12), the Finnish parliament voted by a large majority for a controversial law to protect itself against exactly that.
Migration as Putin’s weapon: Finland closes border with Russia – Over 80 percent support for law
A five-sixths majority was needed to approve the law, which was achieved with 167 votes in favour and 31 against. This will make it possible to turn away migrants at the Finnish-Russian border without examining their asylum application. “This is a strong message to Russia and our allies,” said Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo after the parliamentary vote, according to AFPThe Nordic country will “rely on its own security and the security of the EU-Respect boundaries”.
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb still has to sign the law before it comes into force and would initially apply for one year. The law can therefore be applied if Finland’s sovereignty and national security are considered to be under threat. Moscow is accused of deliberately bringing people to NATO and EU borders, but Russia denies this. The law is necessary, even though it contradicts international human rights obligations, Prime Minister Orpo continued.
Last autumn and winter, almost a thousand migrants arrived at the Finnish-Russian border without visas. The eight official border crossings from Russia Finland had already closed last yearDespite the new law, the borders are apparently to remain closed for the time being. “It would be irresponsible to test the problems of the law in practice,” commented the daily newspaper Helsinki Sanomat in an editorial on Friday.
Tensions at EU and NATO borders: migration crisis as a political instrument?
Finnish legal experts believe that the new law is incompatible with EU law – such as the Prohibition of rejection – and partly also with the Finnish constitution. Supporters, however, see the new regulation as an effective means of protecting Finland and the EU from hostile influence by external actors through migration. Demonstrators disrupted the debate in the Finnish parliament before the law was passed by shouting from the audience that Finland was destroying the rule of law and that no one was illegal.
Using migration as a weapon of hybrid warfare is nothing new. Even before the war in Ukraine began, Belarus had triggered a humanitarian crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border by allegedly bringing hundreds of migrants to the EU border. Minsk wanted to “destabilize Europe” in this way, the accusation goes. Last year, Poland had placed its borders under increased protection because thousands of Wagner mercenaries were temporarily in the vicinity. On Wednesday, Warsaw announced that it would increase its military presence on the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus. Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania recently called for EU support in military and civilian border security in a letter. (bme with dpa/AFP).
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