Finland has also been criticized in the past for continuing internal border controls beyond the six-month limit set by the Schengen agreement. The agreement allows Member States to reintroduce border control on a temporary basis and as a last resort in the event of a serious threat to public security.
Finland mentioned the coronavirus pandemic and its fruitless effort to find alternatives to border control as a basis for restoring control in March. The monitoring is to remain in force until 18 March, despite a remark from the European Commission, the Minister for Europe Tytti Tuppurainen (SDP) confirmed to Helsingin Sanomat.
โWe are not in any normal business situation, but in the midst of a global pandemic,โ he noted.
โWe have viral variations with behavior [โฆ] and the immune response to vaccination, which we do not yet know well enough. “
He emphasizes that Finland supports the internal market and free movement in the Schengen area. However, its response to the coronavirus epidemic has been designed with an emphasis on public health.
“We do not think it is ideal for Finland to unilaterally restrict cross-border traffic so strongly. However, we think it is important because the goal is to prevent the spread of the virus and especially these variants to enter Finland,” Tuppurainen said.
Christian Wigand, A spokesman for the European Commission, said on Tuesday that the Commission hopes six Member States will find an alternative to their border measures as soon as possible to avoid infringement proceedings and legal action.
โWe hope we find a solution and we donโt have to go down a legal path, which can be a long one,โ he said.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page