HELSINKI: The Finnish government on Thursday suggested prohibiting citizens of war-starting nations from purchasing real estate, which would effectively limit Russian citizens’ access to the market. It suggested prohibiting the purchase of real estate in Finland by “persons whose country of nationality is waging a war of aggression and may pose a threat to Finland’s national security.”
Speaking at a press conference, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen stated, “The government has just decided to submit a proposal to parliament to ban real estate transactions by Russians in Finland.”
“We want to make Finland and the Finnish people more secure,” he continued. Although Russia was not specifically mentioned in the law, Hakkanen stated that “Russia and Russian nationals and companies are the ones concerned” due to the current security situation. Last year, Finland, which borders Russia by 1,340 kilometres (830 miles) to the east, prohibited a number of real estate purchases by Russian-affiliated private citizens and businesses on the grounds of national security concerns.
The goal of the bill, according to Hakkanen, is to stop property from being used for “large-scale hostile influence,” which includes supporting espionage operations and other types of sabotage against Finland. The prohibition would not apply to anyone who currently possess a long-term European Union resident permit issued by Finland or a permanent residence permit in Finland.
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