EU Funding for Finland’s Eastern Border is now officially part of the European Union’s next budget cycle, with over €1 billion earmarked to boost security along the country’s vast boundary with Russia.
The funding was revealed as EU ministers met in Brussels to discuss the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028 to 2034. The total proposal sits at around €2 trillion.
Joakim Strand, Finland’s Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering, confirmed that the European Commission has suggested €1.6 billion for Finland under new criteria tied to migration and border protection. This is a considerable jump from previous allocations.
“Over a billion euros more than before, and that’s a real win for us,” Strand told reporters in Brussels during a press briefing.
Strand explained that the boost was not by chance. Finland had spent years making its eastern frontier a priority issue inside EU institutions.
“We’ve worked at every level, civil service, political, diplomatic, to push this forward. We even got top EU figures to visit the border in person,” he said.
One of the key moments in that campaign was the April 2024 visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She toured Finland’s eastern region to get a first-hand look at security conditions.
Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, and since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, the region has become a growing concern for EU security planning. Finland formally joined NATO in April 2023 and has since reinforced its border with upgraded surveillance systems and physical defenses.
While the funding was welcomed in Helsinki, Strand said there is still work to be done.
“The overall amount is still too much. But the objectives match our own,” he noted.
The current EU budget, which runs from 2021 to 2027, totals €1.2 trillion. The new plan introduces higher spending in response to global shifts, particularly in defense, border management, and digital infrastructure.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also weighed in earlier this week. He said Finland supports the focus on security but cannot accept the proposed size of the full €2 trillion framework as it stands.
Because the EU budget must be approved unanimously, negotiations are expected to continue well into 2026.
