Finland has delayed the adoption of a forced expulsion law that allows refugees to be refused asylum at the border, reports newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
The law was expected to enter parliament in the second week of May. The publication specifies that the government's proposal is unlikely to be presented next week, as expected. According to newspaper sources, the government's bill is in the final stages of preparation, but was not yet ready to be sent to the chancellor of justice on Sunday.
On March 26, after a public discussion of the bill, 59 proposals for changes to it were submitted by various organizations, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children's Fund, the Finnish Red Cross, the Refugee Association , the politicians from the European Criminal Institute, the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland and the Russian-speaking “Alexandrov Society“.
On April 4, Finland's Cabinet of Ministers decided to keep the border checkpoints with the Russian Federation closed indefinitely due to the uncontrolled arrival of refugees from third parties.
Russian Foreign Ministry official Maria Zakharova earlier said that Finland's decision to close border crossings creates new dividing lines in Europe, the response of Moscow of these actions will be developed in an interdepartmental format.