Finland’s eastern border fence construction on track, begins late August following successful landowner negotiations

Plans for building a barrier fence along the eastern border are progressing on schedule. Trees have been cleared for the fence in Southeast Finland for a distance of 45 kilometers. The actual construction of the fence will begin in late August, starting near Nuijamaa. In the first phase, the fence will be built over a 70-kilometer area.

Construction will commence in eight areas this year. A lot of preparatory work has already been carried out, including discussions with hundreds of landowners. The landowners have strongly agreed with the project. In addition, tenders have been launched for material procurement, electrical and telecommunications connections, and suppliers of fence and pontoon elements. Trees will be removed from a 120-kilometer path for the border fence this year, creating a 25-meter-wide treeless strip along the border, which will facilitate border control.

The approval of the eastern border repatriation law will not affect the eastern border fence project. Both involve managing the situation on the eastern border, but decisions on the matters are made separately.

Small adjustments have been made based on the trial fences. The construction of the barrier fence was first started with trial fences in Imatra’s Pelkola and Salla. Valuable information was gathered from these fences for the future. Adjustments have been made to the fence network structure and the cabling of electrical and telecommunications, among other things. Fine-tuning has also been done in setting the fence on its ground base.

Construction begins in late August near Nuijamaa and will then proceed to Vaalimaa. After this, the construction of the barrier fence will continue north towards Imatra and Parikkala. The fence will then be built in North Karelia and Kainuu.

The entire project budget has already been allocated to the border guard. The third phase received accelerated funding in the spring, which allows for earlier schedules and purchases. In practice, this means that construction projects in the second and third phases can be implemented together in some areas. This will speed up the schedule in these cases by up to six months. The first part of the fence will be completed during 2025 and the main part of the entire project by summer 2026.