The Finnish Defence Ministry has announced a proposed legislative measure seeking to ban Russian nationals and companies from acquiring real estate within Finland. This move is spurred by heightened concerns over Russian influence within the nation’s domestic political landscape. In a recent press release, the Finnish government outlined its aim to restrict real estate purchases by entities from countries deemed to threaten Finland’s national security. However, Russian citizens with Finnish or other EU/EEA permanent residency permits would be exempt from the proposed law.
The proposal follows a comprehensive inquiry by a working group into the necessity of such restrictions. Finnish Minister of Defense, Antti Häkkänen, confirmed in a recent interview that the measure primarily targets Russian influence. Häkkänen stressed that the ban is intended to mitigate potential interference from foreign states in Finland’s domestic matters.
The legislation is the latest in a series of actions reflecting growing tensions between Finland and Russia following the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. Over the past year, Finland joined NATO and implemented laws addressing security issues related to migration from Russia. The Finnish Parliament also recently enacted legislation empowering law enforcement to manage what it terms “instrumentalised migration” at the border, as detailed in a government release.
This legislative push marks another step in Finland’s broader strategy to protect its territorial integrity and national security in light of shifting geopolitical dynamics and perceived threats from its eastern neighbor.