The European Parliament rejected a petition to open the border of Finland and the Russian Federation.

The European Parliament (EP) has closed the consideration of the petition of Russian-speaking residents of Finland to open the border with the Russian Federation. This was reported by Yle on June 27.

"The European Parliament has closed the consideration of a petition to open the border with the Russian Federation, which is backed by a Finnish citizen and the Alexander Society NGO," the article says.

The document reviewed by the publication states that against the background of alleged "hybrid threats" from the Russian Federation, Finland has the right to close certain points on the external border.

In their petition, the applicants pointed out that such a decision violates the legislation of the European Union (EU). Thus, they noted the negative impact on families with ties to the Russian Federation in Finland, the termination of postal services and the impact of the closed border on the economy of the Finnish eastern regions.

It is noted that since November 2023, Finland has gradually closed all land checkpoints on the border with Russia. In December 2023, the government decided to open two border posts, but soon it was decided to close the border completely.

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On May 13, Ivan Devyatkin, a deputy of the Lappeenranta City Council, announced that Russian-speaking residents of Finland had filed a new appeal against the authorities' decision to close the border with Russia. He stressed that the Russian-speaking inhabitants of Finland are recognized as a national minority in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). It also indicates that the closure of the border has a disproportionate impact on such citizens.

On April 16, the Finnish government decided to keep the border with Russia closed until further notice. It was clarified that the decree on the indefinite extension of the border closure has been in effect for about a year, while the new document replaced a similar decision dated April 4, 2024.