European Union Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner on Monday said that the EU will allocate more budget to Finland for strengthening security at the eastern border.
“We are working on the Eastern Flank Watch to improve real-time surveillance of EU countries bordering Russia, including setting up a drone wall. We will provide this within the current period, still in the next two years. Under the next long-term EU budget from 2028 on, Finland is set to receive almost three times more than in the previous period for migration, border and security investments,” the Commissioner said during a visit to Finland.
Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen updated the Commissioner about the arrangements at the Vaalimaa border crossing point and the fence being built on the border, said a government press release.
The discussions between the Minister and the Commissioner highlighted the role of the countries on the EU’s external border in guaranteeing the security of the entire Union.
“Finland faces an extraordinary situation, sharing over 1,300 km of border with Russia. The Commission is supporting Finland to protect our common EU border, including against weaponisation of migration by Russia and Belarus and other hybrid threats. Over the past two years, we have provided EUR 80 million to Finland in targeted funding. Frontex is also launching a EUR 150 million call for equipment that is 90 per cent EU funded, mainly for drones,” said Brunner.
Rantanen said that Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre-long border with Russia and more effective surveillance of the border will strengthen the security of the EU as a whole in the current landscape of hybrid threats and instrumentalised migration.
“We must make sure that the external border between Finland – and the whole of Europe – and Russia remains safe. The Commission's support for border countries is essential,” said the Minister.
Although the situation at Finland's eastern border is currently stable, the threat of instrumentalised migration remains high, she added.
In the Commission's proposal for the EU’s next multiannual financial framework, EUR 1.6 billion is proposed for Finland's home affairs sector, including border control, which is EUR one billion more than before.
However, there are also immediate needs for additional funding, such as for developing drone and anti-drone capabilities for border control, said the Minister.
“We are monitoring the development of threats and will respond to them using all necessary means. Frontline Member States on the eastern border must have the tools to detect and counteract drones, as well as domestic capabilities to use this technology for external border control. To this end, Finland, Poland and the Baltic States approached the Commission at the end of August to request more funding for these tools during the current funding period,” Rantanen added.
The meeting also discussed migration situation in Finland and EU.
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Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
