In the view of an expert on European Union law, the decision by the Finnish Frontier Guard to stop inspecting passports of travellers crossing the from Finland into Russia is not a violation of the Schengen Treaty.
"Various measures to ease inspections are made for different reasons around Europe. Nowhere is it stated clearly how this is to take place, or what it should be like", says border control expert Markku Hassinen of the Finnish EU Representation in Brussels.
A strike by personnel of the Finnish Frontier Guard led to a situation at the border between Finland and Russia on Tuesday in which there were no inspections of passports on the Finnish side for travellers leaving Finland at the Vaalimaa and Nuijamaa border crossings. The remaining personnel resources were focused on those arriving from Russia.
The Schengen Treaty requires that the travel documents of all who enter and leave the zone must be checked. In exceptional cases, inspections of those leaving the area can be eased.
However, the treaty does not specifically say if the easing of inspections, as mentioned in the treaty, applies to situations such as the Frontier Guards’ strike. It is also unclear if the easing of inspections means that they can be completely stopped, as was the case at the Vaalimaa and Nuijamaa crossings on Tuesday.
In spite of the strike, cross-border traffic has proceeded without serious backlogs. On Wednesday there were some inspections of documents of departing passengers.
