HELSINKI: Finland’s parliament will be able to accept a government proposal to temporarily reject asylum seekers arriving across the border from Russia if some amendments are made, an influential committee of legislators said on Tuesday.
The announcement by the chair of parliament’s constitutional committee is expected to pave the way for the controversial proposal to be approved in a plenary vote in due course.
Finland has accused Russia of weaponizing migration by encouraging hundreds of asylum seekers last year from countries such as Syria and Somalia to cross the border, an assertion the Kremlin denies.
Helsinki believes Moscow is promoting the crossings in retaliation for Finland joining NATO, which backs Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.
After first shutting all land border crossings with Russia late last year, preventing regular travel, the Finnish government in May presented legislation allowing border guards to stop migrants still arriving from seeking asylum.
While the plan clearly contradicts principles included in international human rights agreements, it is still justified as a temporary emergency measure under the circumstances, committee chair Heikki Vestman told a press conference.
For the legislation to pass it must be accompanied by a procedure giving those who are rejected a possibility to appeal the decision, said Vestman, who belongs to the ruling National Coalition Party.
No migrants have arrived across the border with Russia since March 13, official data shows.
Before the vote, the committee heard 18 experts, who were all against approving the law.
But in the end, 15 of the 17 parliamentarians on the constitutional committee gave their backing, with only the Left Alliance and Green Party representatives objecting.
“For the first time the Finnish state explicitly ignores the human rights system and European Union legislation,” Left Alliance lawmaker Anna Kontula said, adding that this could set a dangerous precedent.
Finnish law to stop migrants at Russia border makes progress in parliament
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Finnish law to stop migrants at Russia border makes progress in parliament
- Finland has accused Russia of weaponizing migration by encouraging hundreds of asylum seekers last year from countries such as Syria and Somalia to cross the border
- Helsinki believes Moscow is promoting the crossings in retaliation for Finland joining NATO, which backs Ukraine against Russia’s invasion
EU eyes migration clampdown with push on deportations, visas
- Irregular arrivals in the 27-nation bloc were down by more than a quarter in 2025
- “The priority is clear: bringing illegal arrival numbers down and keeping them down,” Brunner said
BRUSSELS: The European Union on Thursday laid out plans to overhaul its visa system and step up deportations as part of a five-year migration strategy that cements a hardening line on the hot-button issue.
Irregular arrivals in the 27-nation bloc were down by more than a quarter in 2025, according to the EU’s border agency — but political pressure to act remains high.
“The priority is clear: bringing illegal arrival numbers down and keeping them down,” Magnus Brunner, the EU’s commissioner for migration, said.
The strategy unveiled Thursday stressed the need to boost deportations of failed asylum-seekers among the bloc’s priorities.
“Abuse gives migration a bad name — it undermines public trust and ultimately takes away from our ability to provide protection and undercuts our drive to attract talent,” said Brunner.
The European Parliament is currently examining a legal text put forward by the European Commission allowing for so-called “return hubs” to be set up outside the EU’s borders.
Criticized by rights groups, the proposal also envisages harsher penalties for migrants who refuse to leave European territory, including longer periods of detention.
European governments are under pressure to take a tougher stance amid a souring of public opinion on migration that has fueled a rightward shift across the bloc.
- ‘Flawed’ approach -
The strategy also mentioned reinforcing an “assertive migration diplomacy” to persuade third countries to help stop migrants from reaching Europe and take back their nationals with no right to stay.
Brussels recently struck or is negotiating deals with Northern African countries including Tunisia, Mauritania, Egypt and Morocco, whereby it gets help controlling migration flows in return for aid and investments.
Amnesty International criticized the EU’s approach as “flawed.”
It “only heightens its dependence on third countries to manage migration, while making it complicit in any rights violations that may result,” said Olivia Sundberg Diez, a policy analyst with the human rights group.
Brussels also put forward a brand-new visa strategy, with the stated objective of using the granting of access to EU territory to certain nationals as a diplomatic means to foster its policy goals.
It’s “one of the strongest tools in our hands,” said a commission source.
In particular, the EU wants to sanction countries that refuse to take back their nationals by restricting the issuance of visas, while easing procedures to attract skilled workers.
The commission is expected to present a plan for reform by the end of the year.
