Fight and never give up! Until further notice

In July 2022, the Finnish Parliament (Eduskunta) passed amendments to the Border Guard Act, proposed by Sanna Marin’s government. This was done as part of preparations for the “exploiting migration hybrid influence” following events at the Belarusian-Polish border. The law was amended in Section 16, which now states: "The Council of State may decide to close a border crossing point or restrict movement across the border for a certain period or until further notice, if the closure or restriction is necessary to combat a serious threat to public order, national security, or public health."

How should the threat of hybrid influence be assessed, i.e., activity for which there is no universally accepted definition? Clearly, at the stage of adopting the amendments, the criteria and circumstances for introducing different levels of restrictions should have been defined. The Equality Committee, in its 2022 report on the amendments for the government, pointed out the lack of clear parameters for applying the new amendments. Unfortunately, at that time, parliamentarians did not consider the comments on the bill. Currently, it is unclear when the Finnish side should limit the work of border crossing points or close them altogether. Interestingly, if only bus connections were functioning between Finland and Russia right now, this would also align with the amendments to the Border Guard Act. Bus companies had already not allowed passengers without valid visas, so what is preventing the continuation of the old rules now?

But Petteri Orpo’s team is not ready to open even bus communication, given the complex political situation, as the Finnish authorities are using the Border Guard Act not to protect the interests and rights of citizens who urgently need to cross the border, but to maintain their political ratings. It is much easier to exploit emotions and intimidate with hybrid threats. This is effectively facilitated by the baton passed from the previous government in the form of amendments to the law, which conveniently landed in the hands of Petteri Orpo and Mari Rantanen.

(Dis)connecting people

The New Year season has already arrived. Perhaps you are accustomed to keeping in touch with both close and distant acquaintances by sending postcards once a year? After all, Finland is the home of the world-famous Nokia slogan “Connecting people.” However, the company Posti, which functions as Finland’s postal service, has proven to be unprepared to fully embrace this motto. Since April 2022, no postal shipments between Russia and Finland have been possible. It is not only impossible to send a New Year’s card, but also other forms of postal items, including official mail: information exchange has been disrupted, for example, between pension funds, tax authorities, and the police of both countries.

The Alexander Union has been corresponding with Posti since the spring of last year, inquiring about the reasons for the suspension of postal communication with Russia and Belarus. In response, Posti plays the trump card of “the war in Ukraine,” which, in its view, overrides any rules or laws. However, according to the charter of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), of which both Finland and Russia are members, national postal services are obligated to maintain communication with all member countries of this union. Therefore, Posti is violating this charter. Finland’s postal law is also being violated, but such transgressions have lately carried little weight.

So, instead of vague references to “current circumstances,” the best and simplest solution to the problem would be the immediate restoration of postal communication between Finland and Russia, as well as between Finland and Belarus. After all, Sweden has somehow managed to do this. Why can’t Finland?