Migrants walking bicycles at the border-crossing point in Salla, Finnish Lapland, on Tuesday, 21 November 2023. The border-crossing point registered a total of 41 asylum applicants on Tuesday, according to the Lapland Border Guard District. (Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)
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DEPUTY CHANCELLOR of Justice Mikko Puumalainen has blocked a government draft proposal to step up measures at the border between Finland and Russia.
According to Helsingin Sanomat, Puumalainen on Tuesday wrote in a statement that he has evaluated the draft government decision and related documents from the viewpoint of judicial review, concluding that there are no judicial grounds for proceeding to prepare the decision as proposed.
The ruling was issued on grounds that the documents failed to sufficiently guarantee that the decision would not undermine the genuine and effective opportunity to seek international protection, a right that is afforded under the Finnish constitution, EU law and European Convention on Human Rights.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) and Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen (PS) on Tuesday said the government will take another approach to its ongoing work on measures to bring under control the situation on the eastern border.
“The chancellor of justice’s office has ruled that we can’t move forward on this basis. It doesn’t mean that this is it, but the preparatory work continues. There are other approaches, and the work continues,” the premier was quoted saying to reporters in the Parliament House on Tuesday by YLE.
He conceded that the ruling does delay the decision-making process slightly, though.
Rantanen on Tuesday viewed that the proposed measures were “tough but necessary”. “The preparatory work continues because it’s our duty to guarantee the safety of Finns. In that regard, we can’t stand idly by,” she was quoted saying by the public broadcasting company.
Orpo and Rantanen refrained from shedding light on both the rejected measures and the approach to be taken by the government.
Helsingin Sanomat wrote that government the newspaper that the situation has followed the same pattern as at other border-crossing points: Russian officials are directing people arriving at the border to Finland.
The Vartius border-crossing point was closed briefly a handful of times also yesterday after Russian border officials allowed undocumented migrants into the border zone.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
