The Ministry of the Interior proposes to increase the Finnish refugee quota to 2,000 in the government’s budget negotiations, Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo (Green) has told Yle.
The Finnish refugee quota is currently 1,050 people. The quota system distributes refugees among EU Member States on the basis of a calculation based on key data such as GDP, unemployment figures and national population.
The proposed increase is due in part to the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, Ohisalo said, following the rapid advancement of the Taliban and the conquest of much of the country.
"There is a danger that people will start moving as soon as they leave," Ohisalo said in an interview with Yle Ylen Morning program.
The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) said on Wednesday that bringing Afghan refugees to Finland from Afghanistan’s neighboring countries requires a political decision on quotas.
Ohisalo said Ylen Morning in his opinion, increasing the refugee quota was the right step, because taking people to Finland directly from refugee camps through the quota system is the most effective way to help people fleeing Afghanistan.
Ohisalo: The EU is more prepared to receive refugees than in 2015
According to Ohisalo, EU interior ministers met to discuss the situation in Afghanistan this week.
"It is clear that Europe sees the movement of these people, and therefore every EU Member State must be prepared for this," Ohisalo said.
"We need to support the people there as much as possible, but we also need to take responsibility if people come here," Ohisalo added.
A migrant official told Yle on Wednesday that they were preparing for the arrival of refugees from Afghanistan, but did not expect the situation to escalate suddenly.
"It will be interesting to see how much and in what time the situation in Afghanistan affects us here in Finland. Probably to some extent, but the scale is difficult to imagine at this stage," Pekka Nuutinen, The head of the Migri reception unit said.
Source: The Nordic Page
