The Finnish Parliament is set to vote on a controversial law dealing with migration on the Russia border, as revealed by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in a recent interview. Aimed at handling instrumentalized migration at the Finnish-Russian border, the draft law raises potential conflicts with Finland’s international commitments to asylum rights [1].
The draft law was initially proposed earlier this year and will be reviewed by the Constitutional Committee this week. Acknowledging that the legislation’s odds of passing are uncertain due to its challenging requirements and significant political opposition, the Prime Minister underlined the intention of the law – to ensure effective management of the migration situation along the Finnish-Russian border [2].
Instrumentalized migration, as described in the EU’s Schengen Borders Code, refers to scenarios where a third country or non-state actor encourages or facilitates the movement of nationals to the EU’s borders to destabilize the EU or a member state. In response to such tactics, the law would limit the number of open crossing points at the EU’s borders [3].
Last year, amid accusations that Russia was instrumentalizing migration against both Finland and the EU, Finland closed its border with Russia. The shared border has become crucial for both the EU and NATO since 2023 while Finland has signed a bilateral defense pact with the US government [4].
The proposed draft law aims to restrict the reception of asylum application at Finland’s eastern border and authorize border agents to block migrants and asylum seekers from entering. Such measures, while potentially conflicting with Finland’s international human rights obligations, are being positioned as temporary and limited responses to the ongoing situation [5].
Additional information from the government of Finland suggests instrumentalized migration will likely continue if borders are reopened. The proposed law could potentially reverse the effect of border closures that have effectively ceased migration [6].