Finland aims to ban Russians from buying property in the Nordic country, a minister with the Helsinki government has said.
In a press conference on September 2, defence tsar Antti Hakkanen told journalists that a draft law implementing the measure should be in front of parliament before the end of this year.
According to Hakkanen, the law was being planned “based on the war of aggression conducted by Russia” in Ukraine, with the ban set to target both individual citizens from Russia and companies with significant Russian links.
The legislation, he added, would apply more broadly to all individuals from countries that “violated the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of another state and could threaten Finland’s security”.
Dual citizens and Russians with permanent residency in either Finland or another European Union country would reportedly be excluded from the ban.
The development has been welcomed by many in the country. Speaking to Brussels Signal, Finns Party MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen described the development as an “excellent and crucial” move aimed at limiting the risk posed by an “aggressive” Russia.
“As a neighbouring country to Russia, Finland especially needs to have strict measures to protect us from any Russian aggressions. Russian-owned properties in Finland could be used for hostile purposes against us, and therefore this ban is needed,” he said.
Tynkkynen added that the planned move would serve as a continuation of measures already put in place aimed at better securing Finland against Kremlin interference.
“We already have implemented several protective measures, such as closing the Russian border and developing stricter border legislation against instrumentalised migration,” he said.
“Of course, we need to follow how well our new legislation starts to work, and if needed, propose even stricter measures to protect us.’’
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