EU prepares for possible flood of illegal immigrants
Government and Interior Minister to discuss measure for assistance from other member states
|
|
|
The Finnish government and the Minister of the Interior are to get authorisation to request assistance from the guards of other European Union member states if there is a sudden and uncontrolled flood of illegal immigrants from an outside country.
The initiative is linked with an EU decree from last summer, in which member states are committed to deploying border guard units to assist countries of the Schengen zone with external borders if a sudden crisis arises.
The EU countries are preparing for a situation in which such large numbers of third-country citizens seek to enter illegally that the country in question cannot cope alone.
In such a situation a member state can ask the EU’s border control authority, which can decide on the deployment of rapid border intervention groups into the area.
Finland has a long border with Russia, a non-Schengen country, but still lacks national legislation determining who has the power to decide on inviting border guard reinforcements from abroad, or on the deployment of Finnish border guards to other countries.
A working group of the Ministry of the Interior is preparing a legislative initiative, under which the government would primarily decide on asking border guard units from other countries to come to Finland.
In particularly urgent situations, the Minister of the Interior would be authorised to submit such a request at his or her own discretion. The move would be later discussed by the full government, which would be authorised to cancel it.
A decision on sending Finnish border guards to another EU country would be made by the head of the Border Guard. The number of personnel to be sent abroad would be set by the Ministry of the Interior.
A decision on the matter could also be shifted to the government, if circumstances require.
If the measure is approved by Parliament, the legislation would take effect in May next year.
No single EU country has had to resort to emergency forces yet, but cooperation has been practiced in Portugal in November, and in Slovenia in April.
Finnish border guards took part in both of the exercises.
In crisis situations, the activities of border intervention groups are led by the country in whose territory the border forces have been deployed. The guards would be authorised to use their weapons in self-defence.
“In practice, these groups would perform normal border guard duties under the authority of the host country. The groups would, for instance, conduct border inspections, check documents, patrol border zones, and track down and detain those who illegally cross the border”, says Lieutenant Colonel Mika Rytkönen of the general staff of the Finnish Border Guard.
Under the decree, an EU country would be allowed to refuse a request for assistance only if the country itself faces a similar flood of would-be immigrants.
Lieutenant Colonel Rytkönen feels that it is fairly unlikely that Finland would be faced with an uncontrolled flood of illegal immigrants very soon.
“We are not on the busiest routes”, he says.
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 15.8.2008 - TODAY |
 EU prepares for possible flood of illegal immigrants |
|
