Has Finland been humiliated by Russia over a recent decision to shut the Lapland border crossing to EU citizens? That’s the view of Finland’s two tabloids this morning, who both lead on their front pages with details of the deal, under which Belarusian, Russian and Finnish citizens, and their family members, may pass through the Salla and Raja Jooseppi border stations in Lapland, but not citizens of any other EU or EEA country.
Yesterday Iltalehti broke the story that back in February, Finland proposed to Moscow that that the Salla and Raja Jooseppi border crossings remain open to citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland, but with tighter border controls on organised crime and illegal immigration. The paper reported that in March, a counter-proposal arrived from Russia, suggesting that the only nationalities allowed across should be Belarusians, Russians and Finns, for a six-month period. On the same day that President Niinistö visited President Putin in Moscow, a further memo shows Finland appearing to back down from its own position and accepting the Russian terms, putting the deal into practice immediately.
Today, Iltalehti claims MPs have been silenced from speaking about the agreement, reporting that members of the Foreign Affairs Committee have been forbidden from divulging any details of a briefing last week by the interior minister, Petteri Orpo.
”It’s important to know whether Finland is being pressured in its bilateral relations with Russia,” argues one Finnish diplomat in the paper. But the government say that sufficient information about the negotiations has been disclosed to the relevant people.
Foreign minister Timo Soini meanwhile rejects the paper’s charge that Russia dictated the terms of the border arrangement. ”We weren’t humiliated,” Soini insists. ”We weren’t dictated to, we negotiated,” adding that the deal marks a solution to the potential risks created by illegal immigration.
Immigrants into entrepreneurs
Most papers also cover a big announcement by the government yesterday of its new carrot and stick approach to turning unemployed and immigrants into starting up own businessss. Under the package, unveiled by Finns Party employment minister Jari Lindström, there will be more support for small business owners and companies hiring unemployed people. On the other hand, the government will tighten up the terms of unemployment benefit.
Helsingin Sanomat leads with a detailed rundown of the measures, which economic affairs minister Olli Rehn hopes will create 110,000 new jobs. Unemployment benefit can be changed into start-up money for a jobless person who decides to set up on their own. There will be a 5k voucher available for a business to buy in outside expertise and innovation. The government will pay support to a self-employed person if they decide to hire someone else. And there will be a work-experience scheme for unemployed people to be able to show off their skills during a work placement, in the hope of it leading to a real contract.
A key part of the package is aimed towards getting immigrants into Finland’s job market. The government says it will begin fast-tracking residence permits for immigrants setting up small businesses, and allow them to also open a bank account at point of establishing a firm.
Foreign investors looking for a place to put some money will, the government hopes, be tempted by the promise of a ’golden visa’ – a residence permit for anyone investing half a million euros or more into the country.
The ’stick’ part of the government’s plan is to toughen up the conditions for unemployment benefit, upping the pressure on jobless people to accept work that is further away or outside their experience or training. Currently someone can turn down work that doesn't match their experience or training for the first three months of unemployment benefit. The measures suggest cutting this allowance entirely or shortening it by half. More details will be announced next Monday.
One ex-worker at games company Rovio, now unemployed, says she's sceptical of how the government’s measures might work in practice. "Supporting entrepreneurs is a good thing but not if it cuts the money people are living on" she says. She’s wary that work experience placements will just be used by companies for free labour. But the owner of a startup whose workforce is already very international says he's grateful the government wants to reward businesses for employing people from overseas.
Recommend a refugee
Meanwhile Hufvudstadsbladet carries a glowing front-page report on its own project – in conjunction with the Red Cross and other media agencies – to find voluntary work for asylum seekers through the ”Recommend a Refugee” website. Refugees can create their own profile and be matched up with people looking for some help. So far, 70 refugees have signed up, and 50 people given placements, the paper says, claiming that the project is gathering speed.
Ahmed Ali, for instance, has been working clearing a golf course in Evitskog. ”This does us good,” he tells the paper. ”Just sitting around waiting for our asylum decision is killing us,” he says.
15.00 EDIT: The previous version of this article said that Finland wanted the Lapland border crossings to be 'opened up' to EU citizens. In fact the crossings were previously open to EU citizens, and Finland originally wanted them to remain this way.