On Friday 19 April, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen paid a visit to the Imatra border crossing point to learn more about the situation at Finland’s eastern border. From there, they headed to the Old Town Hall in Lappeenranta, where they continued the bilateral discussions they had started the day before on their flight from Brussels after the special European Council.
The main purpose of the visit was for Commission President von der Leyen to learn about Russia’s instrumentalisation of migration to Finland and the measures being taken to combat it. Prime Minister Orpo and President von der Leyen flew from Lappeenranta in a Border Guard helicopter to the Imatra border crossing point and the Pelkola Border Guard station, where a fence of about three kilometres built as part of a pilot project has now been taken into use. Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen and the Border Guard gave an overview of the situation at the border.
Read more on the Prime Minister's Office website: Prime Minister Orpo and European Commission President von der Leyen visit Finland’s eastern border - Prime Minister’s Office (vnk.fi)
