Government to specify policy priorities to manage migration

The Finnish Government will continue to closely monitor the migration situation. The ministerial working group on migration decided today to specify Finland's national and international migration policies outlined in September.

The situation in Europe is constantly changing because of migration flows and a range of national measures being taken by different countries, and because of a changing security situation. Therefore, it is important that Finnish authorities maintain their capacity for rapid response in the changing environment, if necessary.

To update the agreed migration policies, the ministerial working group will coordinate the preparation of a cross-sectoral action plan. The action plan will discuss the implementation of measures taken at EU level and Finland's role in the implementation. To ensure rapid decision making on asylum applications and to curb reception costs, national measures to enhance the effectiveness of the asylum procedure will also be reviewed. Furthermore, the action plan will consider how to bring our policies in line with other EU and Nordic countries and how to facilitate the return of asylum seekers whose application is refused.

With measures concerning asylum seekers being increasingly transferred from the reception stage to the integration stage, the action plan will also take a position on how to ensure that those who are granted asylum are provided with effective integration services without delay.

The action plan will be updated in close cooperation between the ministries involved. It will be discussed again at the next meeting of the ministerial working group on migration.

Government migration policies outlined on 11 September 2015 (in Finnish)

Inquiries: Mr Mikko Kortelainen, Special Adviser, tel. +358 50 301 8334, and Ms Päivi Nerg, Permanent Secretary, tel. +358 50 456 1012, Ministry of the Interior, [email protected]