Barbed wire on the border is not enough - next week the EU government will ask parliament to approve a tough law allowing immediate deportations at the border. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex has decided to continue supporting the Finnish Border Guard along the eastern border until at least next autumn. Meanwhile, the Finnish government is due to ask parliament next week to approve a new law that would allow the Border Guard to immediately return potential asylum seekers to Russia under certain circumstances. Last month, Finland asked for an extension until the end of October, which Frontex approved on Friday.
There are currently 26 Frontex border guards in Finland, including six at Helsinki Airport. The agency has also brought patrol cars and other surveillance technology to the country. If necessary, the Border Guard can request more Frontex border guards to guard the eastern border. Border guards and other Frontex staff arrived in Finland in November and December when Finland requested assistance, primarily in area surveillance. Frontex initially sent about 50 officials to help monitor Finland’s eastern border after an influx of asylum seekers orchestrated by Russian authorities arrived at the border.