Finland Prepares Legislation to Ban Property Purchases by Russian Nationals

Russian citizens may soon be barred from purchasing properties in neighboring Finland, as Finnish authorities are drafting legislation that could put an end to such transactions. Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen (NCP) has confirmed that the Finnish Ministry of Defence is working on a bill that, if approved, would impose a complete ban on Russians interested in acquiring real estate in Finland.

Minister Häkkänen revealed that the ministry has been preparing the legislation throughout the summer, with plans to present it to the government for further consideration in early autumn. He emphasized that the law reform is being treated as a priority. The proposed legislation would grant Finnish authorities the power to restrict property sales to international buyers under certain circumstances, with a particular focus on preventing Russian nationals, especially those with ties to the Kremlin, from purchasing real estate in Finland, as reported by Yal.

In the past six months, several attempts by Russian nationals to buy properties in Finland have been blocked. Just last week, a 61-year-old businessman with dual Swiss and Russian nationality was prevented from purchasing a property in Sysmä, in southern Finland. Local media reports indicate that the buyers in these blocked transactions were either Russian citizens or held dual Russian nationality, and the ministry suspects they may have connections to the Russian government or organized crime groups.

Finland has been tightening its regulations on Russia due to potential security concerns. Amidst efforts to curb instrumentalized migration, Finland has closed its border with Russia, and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo recently stated that there are no plans to reopen the border anytime soon. Last month, Finland also enacted a law aimed at preventing asylum seekers from entering the country via Russia.

Under these new regulations, Finnish border guards now have the authority to block asylum seekers from entering the country and to deprive them of the right to appeal. The Finnish authorities have stated that this law will be in effect for 12 months. Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen clarified, "This is a law that aims to oppose controlled migration. It is not a law on migration or asylum policy."

However, the new measures have sparked criticism from some human rights organizations, who argue that the law fails to address a fundamental issue in the east—namely, the closure of all crossings along the 1,300-kilometer Finnish-Russian border, which they claim infringes on the freedom of movement.

By fLEXI tEAM