Finland welcomes EU decision on refugees

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä said on Friday he is pleased with the results of the overnight EU Summit in Brussels. He said the reform plan on immigration is in line with the aims that Finland had in the meeting.

Sipilä told national broadcaster, Yle, that the decision to establish processing centers for people wanting to get into Europe could possibly stop the usage of the dangerous routings offered by smugglers.

The EU members have agreed to establish regional landing centers to receive asylum seekers. They would be located both in the EU countries and in North Africa.

Those who are entitled to get a refugee status would be transferred to a EU, but the acceptance of refugees would be voluntary.

Interior Minister Kai Mykkänen said that the balance between the voluntary nature of acceptance and the need to find enough willingness to take them in will be crucial. "Alternatively, the borderless Schengen area will crumble," Mykkänen painted.

Teija Tiilikainen, director of the Finnish Institute for International Affairs, told Yle that the success of the plan depends on its implementation.

"The idea of processing centers is not new but the decision indicates that the EU has more determination than earlier to find a joint solution," Tiilikainen said.

But Ida Schauman, an expert for the Finnish Refugee Aid, deplored the EU decision. Talking to a Finnish language newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, she described the decision as "a blow to the world's refugees and those in need of protection".

"With the agreement, those seeking shelter will be shifted outside Europe and acceptance into Europe will be voluntary," she noted.

Schauman said that immigration policies are being driven to a cold direction, despite the fact that the number of asylum seekers has declined essentially.