Finland’s border fence nears completion below budget

Finland’s 200-kilometre barrier fence along the border with Russia is nearly complete, Yle reports. Final finishing work is still under way, according to Erkki Matilainen, project manager at the Finnish Border Guard headquarters.

The fence is intended to prevent unauthorised entry and so-called instrumentalised migration, after large numbers of asylum seekers arrived at Finland’s border from Russia. Discussions about building it began in 2022, when parliamentary groups agreed that construction should start quickly.

The barrier consists of a metal mesh fence, a road alongside it, a treeless strip and a technical surveillance system. It covers 200 kilometres of Finland’s approximately 1,300-kilometre eastern border.

About 140 kilometres of the fence is in southeastern Finland and the Kymenlaakso region. North Karelia has 35 kilometres, while Kainuu, Koillismaa and Lapland have a combined 25 kilometres.

The project is expected to cost less than originally estimated. The state had reserved 378 million euros for construction, while the current budget is 356 million euros. That figure includes three million euros paid so far to landowners for use of their land. There are approximately 1,000 landowners.

The formal handover of the fence to its client is expected to take place in September.