Finland maintains that the measure is intended to counter the “weaponization” of migrants by Moscow
Finnish lawmakers approved a contentious bill on Friday that would authorize authorities to close the border to asylum seekers. This action follows Helsinki’s accusation that Moscow is “weaponizing” migration.
The so-called “deportation bill” would empower border officials to reject asylum applications under specific circumstances. “We resolutely sought solutions, and today Parliament has approved the law with a strong majority,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated. He added that he hopes the new law “never has to be used.”
Michael O’Flaherty, EU commissioner for human rights, sent a to Finnish lawmakers, urging them to reject the bill because “the proposed law raises a number of significant human rights concerns.” If adopted, “it could set a destabilizing precedent,” and “could be replicated by other states, including those with a less developed practice of upholding human rights,” O’Flaherty wrote.
More than 200 university researchers from Finland and abroad signed a petition calling for lawmakers to reject the bill, national broadcaster Yle reported.
The Finnish government has asserted that the bill would help combat what it calls Russian “hybrid influencing against our security.” Since 2022, Finland has been reporting a surge of migrants, primarily from the Middle East, who have attempted to cross into the country through the land border with Russia. Helsinki has accused Moscow of directing these migrants to the border crossings. Russia dismissed this claim as “unsubstantiated” and said that Finland has effectively halted cooperation between the neighboring countries’ border agencies.
Russia and Finland maintained good working relations during the Cold War and expanded ties after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Relations deteriorated significantly in 2022 when Finland supported Ukraine and began providing Kiev with weapons. The Nordic state abandoned its decades-long policy of non-alignment and joined NATO last year. Russia stated that this move would only lead to further deterioration of security in Europe.