The Finnish Border Guard has reached an agreement with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, to extend the targeted personnel and material support for our eastern border beyond the two-month support period ending on January 24.
Following the request sent by the Finnish Border Guard to Frontex, the current personnel support, consisting of approximately 50 permanent staff members, will be maintained at about one-third of its strength, at least until the summer. The personnel allocated for continued support will initially be directed to the Southeast Finland, North Karelia, and Kainuu Border Guard Districts. In addition to personnel, the continued support includes technical material in the form of patrol vehicles and technical equipment used in the surveillance of the border areas.
Apart from the specifically agreed and targeted permanent Frontex staff for the eastern border, the Finnish Border Guard will also be supported in the coming months by Frontex personnel, as per the previously agreed annual plan, starting from January 24. This support will include a few border control / document investigation experts at the eastern border and four border control / document investigation experts at Helsinki Airport.
When requesting the continuation of support, the Finnish Border Guard, in collaboration with Frontex, has assessed various factors influencing the extent of the resources provided for border control. These factors include the adequacy and readiness of our national border control resources in terms of personnel, the potential changes in the border situation, and the urgent personnel resource needs requested in other Frontex operations. The Finnish Border Guard is prepared to rapidly increase the level of personnel and material support in collaboration with Frontex, if the situation of illegal border crossings significantly changes in the coming weeks and months.
