Entry can be refused under Schengen Borders Code: FM

Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto on Saturday said that increasing volume of Russian tourists transiting via Finland are causing serious harm to Finland’s international relations and entry into Finland can be refused under the Schengen Borders Code.

“Entry into Finland can be refused under the Schengen Borders Code. Exceptions will include specific groups – based on e.g. relatives, studies or work. It is also important to ensure that people can enter on humanitarian grounds. Finland still aims at EU-level solutions,” wrote the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a twitter post on Saturday, quoting Haavisto as saying.

The Foreign Minister also said that Russia’s mobilisation and increasing volume of tourists transiting via Finland are causing serious harm to Finland’s international position and relations.

“Government will issue a resolution to significantly restrict the entry and issuing visas to Russian citizens,” he added.

Border traffic at Finnish Russian land border has stayed on high level throughout Saturday, according to Head of Int Affairs Unit of Finnish Border Guard Matti Pitkäniitty.

“The border traffic last night ( Friday night) was busier than usually and there are lines in Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa and Imatra border crossing stations,” Pitkäniitty wrote in a twitter post on Saturday.

He said that traffic at Finnish Russian land border continues at increased level, especially at South-East Finland.

A total of 7 667 Russians arrived Finland via whole land border on Friday while 3 545 Russians exited. The number of Russians arrived on Thursday was 7 667.

Comparing to the same day on previous week, he pointed out that last week Friday 3 529 Russians arrived in Finland.

He, however, said that low number of document forgeries and no illegal border crossing at green border (forest areas) showed that legal pathways are sufficient at the moment but this can be changed.

“Many Russians are entering Finland with visas issued by other Schengen countries and many are transiting,” Pitkäniitty added.

At this moment Finland applies same entry regime than 21 other Schengen States. Four countries have different regime, the Border Guard official said.

“Our Government is considering to join these next week,” he wrote in his twitter.

“My understanding: majority of Russians are arriving to Sch. by airplane, not via Eastern land border,” he added.

Earlier on Friday, the President and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy decided that the government would issue a resolution placing significant restrictions on the issuing of visas to Russian citizens.

Restrictions will be also imposed on their entry into the country in order to prevent serious damage to Finland’s international position, the press release added.