Finland to Organize EU Leaders Summit in Lapland
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (center) has invited EU leaders to Northern Finland for discussions on security issues: (from left) Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. (Photo collage: the Finnish Government)
“Europe has to take greater responsibility for its own security," says Finland's PM Petteri Orpo. This weekend, he will host minister colleagues from EU countries and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in Northern Finland, near the border with Russia.
The time has come for a north-south summit between EU leaders set in the northern Finnish forests on the weekend of December 21st to 22nd.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has invited the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the prime ministers of Italy, Greece, and Sweden to Saariselkä in Lapland.
The main topics for the meeting are Europe's security, defense, and preparedness, as well as migration, the instrumentalization of migration, and border security.
"Europe has to take greater responsibility for its own security. This means that European countries have to be strong leaders, both in the EU and in NATO. Our greatest threat is Russia, which is trying to consolidate power and sow discord in Europe," says Orpo (National Coalition Party).
The summit allows EU leaders to have confidential conversations and introduce new initiatives, states the prime minister's office.
Borderland
It is about an hour's drive from Saariselkä to Raja-Jooseppi, the northernmost border crossing point along the 1340-kilometer Finnish-Russian border.
The entire Finnish-Russian border has since been closed, except for short-term reopening attempts.
Italy and Greece, at the EU’s southern border, report the largest shares of migrant presence overall in Europe, similarly to the previous reporting periods. This is stated in a September report from the International Organization for Migration.
Both countries are strong supporters of Ukraine. However, some members of the Italian far-right-oriented coalition government, particularly in the Lega party, are more critical of the assistance to Kyiv.
EU funds for border surveillance
Last week, it was announced that Finland will receive EUR 50 million from the EU Border Management and Visa Policy Instrument (BMVI) to increase border surveillance.
The funds are part of an extra allocation of EUR 170 million to strengthen border security and counter hybrid threats at the EU eastern border with Russia and Belarus.
“The additional funding granted to Finland is the result of successful preparation and consistent engagement with the European Commission. I have kept in close contact with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and have highlighted these immediate financing needs as well as the special needs of our eastern border regions over the longer term,” says Orpo.
Finland has now received about EUR 83 million through the BMVI during the current EU funding period, according to Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen (Finns Party).
"This EUR 50 million in additional funding is quite significant. It will be used to expand the coverage of technical surveillance, produce more timely situational awareness, and improve the mobility of patrols,” Rantanten elaborates.
More specifically, the EU supports upgrading electronic surveillance equipment, improving telecommunications networks, deploying mobile detection equipment or countering drone intrusions.
Patrol at the border with Russia in North Ostrobothnia, Northern Finland. (Photo: the Finnish Border Guard)
Other Finnish border measures
- Finland is progressing in building an approximately 200-kilometer-long barrier fence along its border with Russia. The work started in the Winter of 2022 and is scheduled to be completed in 2026. The central part is being constructed along the southeastern border.
- This summer, Finland adopted an act on temporary measures to combat instrumentalized migration. The act entered into force on July 22nd and is valid for one year.
- The Finnish government is preparing programs to strengthen activity and security in the border regions of Northern Finland and Eastern Finland. The draft programs were up for comment in November – and final proposals will be submitted next year. Among the ideas is designing a joint strategic agenda for the northern regions of Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
New project
Last week, Finland's Ministry of the Interior also launched a project to review the powers of the Border Guard.
The aim is to strengthen the border guard's ability to support preparedness in a changed security and operational environment.
Legislative amendments will be assessed and prepared, especially regarding technical surveillance, related automatic identification, and interventions against unmanned systems, such as drones.
The government is scheduled to submit a bill to Parliament in the autumn of 2025.
“Finland will continue its consistent work to develop border security. It is essential to develop the powers of the Border Guard so that we can respond to the challenges of the changed security environment in the best possible way. We must ensure that border guards can operate effectively in all situations,” says Rantanen.
An approx. 3-kilometer-long pilot fence in Pelkola, South Karelia, was completed in the fall of 2023. (Photo: the Finnish Border Guard)
