Finland Times

 

Speaker Maria Lohela was listenning the speech of the President in parliament on Wednesday. Photo Lehtikuva.

President Sauli Niinistö on Wednesday said Europe cannot endure uncontrollable migration much longer and called for solutions at the European level, reported the news agency Xinhua.

 

Addressing the annual opening of parliament in Helsinki, Niinistö said international regulations regarding refugees are no longer compatible with the current situation. 

 

He said if the international norms and the respective national regulations were enacted now, they would be essentially tougher.

 

The president said there are no good alternatives at present. “We must aim at a satisfactory balance that secures on one hand European values and order, and on the other hand helps those in danger of persecution,” he said.

 

While those in danger or subject to persecution should be helped, “we cannot help those who seek for something better or feel their present situation or their future in their home country is difficult,” said Niinistö.

 

Niinistö said exceeding the tolerance level would crush European values.

 

He called for realisation of the facts at the European level. The EU should opt for a joint border control, and measures to slow down migration and to speed up repatriations, he said. “At some stage, someone has to admit that we are not able now to meet the requirements of international agreements,” said the president.

 

A total of 32,476 asylum seekers arrived in Finland in 2015, while the number was 3,651 in 2014. The Finnish government has said that only 40 per cent would be able to stay and the rest would probably have to leave.

 

The president’s speech drew criticism from opposition political parties and aid organisations, reported the news agency STT.

 

The chair of Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland-SDP), Antti Rinne said he is for the first time embarrassed by President Sauli Niinistö’s speech.

 

In Rinne’s opinion, the speech could be interpreted as the president urging non-compliance with international agreements.

 

According to his view, it is a strange starting point. In his opinion, the agreements may be required for a new kind of common understanding in Europe.

 

The SDP leader also pointed out that there are regulations for labour immigration, which must be observed whenever the migrants in question are not seeking asylum.

 

Niinistö’s speech has raised some eyebrows in the NGO field as well. Finn Church Aid Chairman Jouni Hemberg expressed his dismay on Facebook at the president’s statement. 

 

According to Hemberg, the prosperous Finland is in completely different position regarding the refugee issue than other major recipient countries like Uganda and Ethiopia.

 

The human rights organisation Amnesty International pointed out on Twitter that the closure of borders and ignoring international agreements will not solve the refugee crisis.