The Ministry of the Interior is proposing 139 million euros in funding for measures along the eastern border including partial fencing, Interior Minister Krista Mikkonen (Green) told the Uutissuomalainen newspaper group on Thursday.
The funding will be used to build a longer fence next year after a smaller pilot project has been completed. In addition, the funding will also cover the cost of monitoring technology, road construction and land reclamation.
The fencing pilot project is estimated to cost six million euros, which the government is expected to approve in a supplementary budget in the coming weeks, Uutissuomalainen reported.
According to Mikkonen, the initial fencing project will be erected in Southeast Finland, where border traffic is the busiest.
In September, Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) came out in support of fencing portions of the border based on recommendations from the Border Guard.
Aircraft upgrade
In addition to the fencing initiatives, the Border Guard will spend 163 million euros on new jet aircraft.
The current Dornier 228 surveillance propeller aircraft were purchased in the 1990s and have faced mounting technical problems.
In September, during the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion, the aircraft were unable to make a surveillance flight off the Finnish coast due to mechanical difficulties.
The Border Guard said that the switch to jet propulsion will increase the time the aircraft can operate and allow them to patrol larger areas. The goal is also for the new aircraft to be multirole, equipped with powerful cameras, various types of radar and radio interceptors and jammers so they can engage in signal intelligence.
"The security environment has changed due to the current war situation, and we want better performance than before," said Major Kenneth Rosenqvist, the project manager of the new aircraft acquisition initiative.
In April, the government set aside the funds for the purchase of replacement multirole aircraft. The decision on the supplier is expected by the end of 2023 and the aircraft should be in service by 2026.
The new aircraft will allow more effective control of the eastern border from the air, as well as operations in maritime areas.