Finland meets only one tenth of refugee quota for this year
Ministry disagreements slow selection of refugees
|
Disagreements between the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of the Interior have significantly slowed down the selection of refugees to be settled in Finland on the basis of the annual refugee quota.
So far this year Finland has taken in 75 "quota refugees" - exactly one tenth of the allotment of 750.
"Our problems are national. The world has not run out of refugees", observes Mervi Virtanen, head of the political section of the Ministry of Labour.
Virtanen’s views are echoed by Ilkka Rentola of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Both say that disagreements between the Labour and Interior ministries led to delays in making decisions early in the year. Helsingin Sanomat was not able to reach representatives of the Ministry of the Interior who took part in the discussions.
These three ministries are supposed to decide from among options put forward by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on what areas Finland’s quota refugees should come from this year.
The Ministry of the Interior initially opposed accepting Iranian and Iraqi refugees staying in Turkey, but later agreed to the proposal by the Ministry of Labour
However, the Ministry of the Interior prevailed in its opposition to taking refugees from Afghanistan, although the Ministry of Labour would have wanted to take them.
In the second half of this year the Finnish turn at the EU Presidency has delayed selection of refugees. The Security Police (SUPO) has been too busy with matters related to EU Presidency events to do the normal background checks on potential refugees.
Virtanen believes that Finland might manage to choose about 600 refugees for this year’s quota. However, some officials linked with immigration affairs feel that there could be a shortfall of hundreds of quota refugees this year.
A delegation of the Ministry of Labour and the Directorate of Immigration visited Thailand last week, and made a proposal for settling 385 refugees from Myanmar in Finland.
Another delegation is scheduled to leave for Turkey to choose 150 Iranian and Iraqi refugees there. "I am very hopeful that the December trip will take place", Virtanen says.
The 75 refugees that Finland has taken so far this year are so-called emergency cases, who have had to be moved quickly from a refugee camp to a safe country because of pressing concerns involving security or health, for instance. Finland plans to bring in another 75 refugees in a similar predicament.
Finland would not be in violation of any treaties even if it fell far short of its original refugee quota.
So far this year Finland has taken in 75 "quota refugees" - exactly one tenth of the allotment of 750.
"Our problems are national. The world has not run out of refugees", observes Mervi Virtanen, head of the political section of the Ministry of Labour.
Virtanen’s views are echoed by Ilkka Rentola of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Both say that disagreements between the Labour and Interior ministries led to delays in making decisions early in the year. Helsingin Sanomat was not able to reach representatives of the Ministry of the Interior who took part in the discussions.
These three ministries are supposed to decide from among options put forward by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on what areas Finland’s quota refugees should come from this year.
The Ministry of the Interior initially opposed accepting Iranian and Iraqi refugees staying in Turkey, but later agreed to the proposal by the Ministry of Labour
However, the Ministry of the Interior prevailed in its opposition to taking refugees from Afghanistan, although the Ministry of Labour would have wanted to take them.
In the second half of this year the Finnish turn at the EU Presidency has delayed selection of refugees. The Security Police (SUPO) has been too busy with matters related to EU Presidency events to do the normal background checks on potential refugees.
Virtanen believes that Finland might manage to choose about 600 refugees for this year’s quota. However, some officials linked with immigration affairs feel that there could be a shortfall of hundreds of quota refugees this year.
A delegation of the Ministry of Labour and the Directorate of Immigration visited Thailand last week, and made a proposal for settling 385 refugees from Myanmar in Finland.
Another delegation is scheduled to leave for Turkey to choose 150 Iranian and Iraqi refugees there. "I am very hopeful that the December trip will take place", Virtanen says.
The 75 refugees that Finland has taken so far this year are so-called emergency cases, who have had to be moved quickly from a refugee camp to a safe country because of pressing concerns involving security or health, for instance. Finland plans to bring in another 75 refugees in a similar predicament.
Finland would not be in violation of any treaties even if it fell far short of its original refugee quota.
Helsingin Sanomat