Finnish President Alexander Stubb arrived for a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) at the Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, the UK, on Thursday, 18 July 2024. Stubb told Finnish reporters that European countries are widely supportive and understanding of the emergency legislation enacted in Finland to thwart instrumentalised immigration. (Ludovic Marin – AFP / Lehtikuva)
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PRESIDENT Alexander Stubb on Thursday stated that Europe is widely supportive and understanding of the border security act adopted recently in Finland, according to Helsingin Sanomat.
“There’s an understanding that instrumentalised immigration is different from applying for asylum,” he commented to Finnish reporters following a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) held at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, the UK.
Stubb said European countries that the age-old asylum rules are incapable of responding to the current situation.
Although Russian hybrid warfare was a subject of plenty of discussion at the summit, no new tools to combat instrumentalised immigration were identified. Finland’s response to the phenomenon did receive positive attention, however.
“Many remarked that the instrument looks good – especially the leaders of Baltic countries. And it may be that they’ll start copying it,” Stubb was quoted saying by Helsingin Sanomat.
The act enables the government, in consultation with the president, to suspend the reception of asylum application at designated areas of the border and authorise border guards to turn away migrants based on a summary assessment of their need for international protection. The migrants have no opportunity to appeal against the decision to a court of law.
The Finnish president also urged the continent to adopt a more uniform strategy for responding to hybrid influence operations by Russia. “We should react to it in the same way and condemn it in the same way,” he emphasised, arguing that major differences in the reactions could cause instability.
He declined to comment on whether one or more of the border-crossing points should be re-opened following the adoption of the emergency act.
“It all starts with security and the situation we’re in,” he said.
Finland has kept all border-crossing points on its eastern border since last November, except for a limited re-opening that lasted only a couple of days in December. Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen (PS) stated earlier this month that the act passing does not automatically translate to the re-opening of border-crossing points.
Finnish authorities are conducting a detailed analysis of the various options, according to Stubb. “We’re taking it day by day. Now we have an instrument to thwart instrumentalised immigration […]. At the moment we don’t know whether we’ll open the border later.”
Also European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned Yemeni migrants brought to the Finnish border by Russia in her final pitch to MEPs in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday. MEPs later that day re-elected her to lead the commission for another five years by a vote of 401 for and 284 against, clearing the 360-vote mark required for a majority fairly comfortably.
Russian belligerence was highlighted also by a number of other participants at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that Europe must protect its borders and commit to supporting Ukraine in the long term.
“Because our security is on the line,” he said.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that Russia will not stop at Ukraine if it is allowed to emerge victorious from the war that is already well into its third year. “Ukraine has to win […]. Ukraine needs more heavy weapons to be able to push out Russia.”
Frederiksen in February announced Denmark will transfer all its ammunition to Kyiv, becoming the first to do so.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
