Minister of Interior Rantanen to visit Poland: Protecting EU's external borders increases security in whole Schengen area

Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen will visit Warsaw, Poland on 8 October, where she will meet Poland’s Minister of the Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński. The two ministers will discuss the border situation in both countries. 

“The geopolitical environment at the EU’s external borders with Russia and Belarus is very tense, which is why preparedness is now more important than ever before. The recent airspace violations and drone attacks in Europe remind us of this new reality,” Minister of the Interior Rantanen says.

“It is clear that the capacity to respond to different kinds of threats and combat them must be strengthened in the countries on the EU’s eastern external border. We are not just protecting our own borders - we also have a particular responsibility for the security of Europe as a whole,” Minister Rantanen points out.

In the next financial framework, the European Commission proposes to significantly increase the amount of funding for crisis preparedness and border security. The important role of the EU’s external land borders must be taken into account as a criterion when allocating the funding. Both Finland and Poland support the Commission’s proposal.

Seminar on preparedness showcases Finland’s strong competence

On 8 October, Minister Rantanen will open a seminar on preparedness where Finnish competence in civil defence and preparedness will be presented to Polish authorities and other actors working on these issues. The themes include civil defence shelters and individual emergency planning.

“In Finland civil defence shelters have been built and maintained since the Second World War. However, preparedness starts first and foremost from the grass-root level, from every rescue worker and police officer and from ordinary people. Citizens’ skills and capabilities in different kinds of emergencies and crises lay the foundation for the functioning of society,” Rantanen says.

Minister Rantanen meets Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens 

In Warsaw, Minister Rantanen will also meet Hans Leijtens, Executive Director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex and visit the Frontex Operations Centre. She will also meet Finnish people working in Frontex. 

Inquiries:
Laura Yli-Vakkuri, Director General, tel. +358 40 720 2216, firstname.lastname@gov.fi