The European Parliament will hold a discussion on the situation on the Finnish-Russian border at its plenary session on Tuesday evening. The discussion will involve representatives from the EU Commission and Council of Member States, but it does not include voting on any resolutions.
The issue was put forward by Eero Heinäluoman (SD) and Pirkko Ruohonen-Lerner (Greens), who have presented different titles for their speeches. In Heinäluoma’s opinion, the situation on Finland’s eastern border is critical and could get “really bad.” He believes that people may be pushed across the border or lured with false promises. If this happens, Finland needs support from other EU countries and the European Parliament.
Petri Sarvamaa (Coalition) also considers the discussion “extremely important” for the entire EU, as there are clear indications that Russia is trying to undermine Finland’s ability to operate in its own and the Union’s longest border area. This is unacceptable, says Sarvamaa.
Mauri Pekkarinen (Center) intends to focus on his speech on border security, while Elsi Katainen (Center) plans to discuss whether Finland should intervene more actively in events along its eastern border. She also notes that there may be a debate about whether NATO or Frontex should be involved in supporting Finland.
In her speech, Alviina Alametsä (Greens) emphasizes taking care of humanitarian aid for those affected by events along the eastern border. However, she raises concerns about Russia selectively choosing asylum seekers and putting them in danger. Ville Niinistö (Greens) also notes that MEPs have not received official threat assessments from the government but assumes that there are serious development costs behind its decisions. He emphasizes closing border points in time to send a message to Russia that Finland will not allow events along its eastern border to escalate again like they did between Belarus and Poland recently.
Silvia Modig (Left Alliance) insists that people have a right to apply for asylum under any circumstances, but he warns against provoking Russia when it is already tense. He suggests keeping a cool head while addressing issues related to human rights obligations in Finland’s own activities.
Overall, this discussion aims to bring attention to the situation on Finland’s eastern border and provide an opportunity for MEPs from different groups to express their views and concerns about it.