Portuguese MEP leads EU border mission with Russia

A the mission of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament (EP), which runs from 21 to 23 September, aims to know the measures taken by the Finnish authorities to anticipate and respond to emergency situations and to contribute to the strengthening of EU security and resilience.

“ The extensive border with Russia places Finland on very concrete security issues, which require permanent preparation and response capacity,” said Paulo Cunha.

Finland, which shares some 1,340 kilometres of land border with Russia, has kept the land border posts closed with Russia and considers the risk of instrumentalising migration at the eastern border to be high.

“ This mission will make it possible to know the solutions developed by the country and realise what measures we must strengthen at European level to anticipate threats and support the most exposed Member States,” added the head of the PSD delegation in the EP.

The visit takes place in a context of growing concern in the EU with hybrid threats associated with Russia, which go beyond the war in Ukraine, and include border pressures, electronic interference, airspace incidents and risks to critical infrastructure.

In Finland, the authorities have seen increased interference in satellite navigation systems and mobile communications, particularly in the south and southeast of the country.

More recently, in early September, a drone (unmanned aerial device) was found on the coast of Porvoo, after a violation of Finnish airspace was suspected in an episode that adds to several others.

Next week's parliamentary mission will include a visit to the European Centre of Excellence for Combating Hybrid Threats in Helsinki, where MEPs should meet with experts on the evolution of such threats and the necessary responses at European level.

The delegation will also meet with officials from the Ministry of Interior, Border Guard, the National Emergency Supply Agency and the National Research Office. A dinner is also planned offered by Finnish Minister of the Interior, Mari Rantanen.

Among the topics under consideration will be the protection of the EU's external borders, internal security, continuity of supply, protection of critical infrastructure and the capacity of the authorities to respond to emergency situations.

For Paulo Cunha, Finnish experience can serve as a reference for a more preventive European policy.

“We cannot begin to prepare an answer only when the crisis is already in place. We need an EU of preparation, capable of anticipating risks, coordinating the authorities and supporting the Member States when their response capacity is exceeded,” said the MEP in the statement.

Finland joined NATO in 2023, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and has since occupied a particularly relevant position in the security architecture of the north-east flank of the Atlantic Alliance.