Ilta-Sanomat is among the papers reporting that President Alexander Stubb told the media on Wednesday that he had discussed the issue of the instrumentalisation of immigration with the government and supports its draft Border Procedures Act.
If passed, the new legislation would allow Finnish authorities to quickly deport people from the country if they are found to have no grounds for seeking asylum.
Speaking to the media in Joensuu following a visit to the eastern border on Wednesday, President Stubb stated that there are situations in which it is necessary to take measures that put security first.
"We need to have the tools for the authorities to act in difficult situations," Stubb said.
The president added that it is important to anticipate any deterioration in the situation at the eastern border. In the worst case scenario, he said, the Border Guard could lose control of the situation.
"Here we are giving a message. This message is a way to say that it is not worthwhile for Russia to continue its activities. In this security policy situation, we cannot sit on our hands, so to speak," Stubb told the press.
As Ilta-Sanomat noted, the Finnish government intends to seek passage of legislation that would temporarily allow authorities to send back asylum seekers when they arrive at the border. However, such a practice would be in conflict with Finland's international obligations.
Consultation on the bill ended on Monday. It will now go to Parliament, where it will require a five-sixths majority to pass.
In a separate article, Ilta-Sanomat noted that President Stubb acknowledged that the proposal is a morally and politically difficult issue. The paper explained that the president sees it, however, as a clearly proactive message to Vladimir Putin.
"The last thing we need to give Russia are the tools to break Finnish society," Stubb said.
Petrol prices
The price of petrol has risen in Finland during the wave of political strikes now in their third week, writes Iltalehti.
The paper shared figures on price developments from the beginning of February up to Wednesday 27 March, based on consumer reports gathered by the website Tankille.fi.
The data shows that the average price of petrol increased slightly during the week beginning 11 March, when the strike started. Since then, the price of petrol has continued to edge up.
The paper noted that while strikes have not stopped imports of liquid fuels into Finland completely, it has reduced them and also impacted deliveries of fuels from the domectic refiner, Neste.
Iltalehti pointed out that the price of petrol is affected by many factors, the most important being changes in the world market price of crude oil. Regulations and taxation are also reflected in the price of petrol at the pump.
Petrol is not abnormally expensive at the moment, and had higher peak prices last year. And, Iltalehti noted, the exeptionally high pump prices seen in 2022 are still a long way off.
Lobbying transparency
The Uutissuomalainen newspaper group reports that as of late afternoon Wednesday, nearly 700 lobbying organisations had registered their information in a new transparency registry that opened at the start of this year.
The Finnish Transparency Register was created to increase the transparancy of systematic lobbying of Parliament and ministries that takes place outside formal working groups and consultations. The registry is meant to help combat undue influence in the decision-making process and to strengthen citizens' trust in the state administration.
According to Uutissuomalainen, the registrants include companies, various kinds of organisations and associations, educational institutions, universities and communications agencies.
Registered lobbyists must submit a detailed report of their activities every six months. The first of these will be available to the public from July onwards.
Cars in limbo
Strikes are impacting new car sales, according to the business and economic daily Kauppalehti.
Up to 2,000 new cars are delivered to Finnish ports every week, with three out of four of the vehicles entering the country via the port of Hanko.
With the country's stevedores on strike, new cars that have already been ordered are stuck in ports of departure elsewhere in Europe.
"Logistically, Finland is an island and all new cars are transported by ship. The strikes have disrupted deliveries," Iiro Mäkinen, CEO of the logistics company SE Mäkinen, told Kauppalehti.
For logistics companies, getting cars stuck in ports of departure means no work for their employees.
In addition to transport, logistics companies carry out technical work on new vehicles, such as quality control and fitting them out for professional use or installing equipment such as auxiliary heaters.
Holiday traffic
Easter holiday traffic will be at its busiest on Thursday, according to an STT news agency report in Savon Sanomat. The heaviest traffic is expected to be seen between 1pm and 7pm.
There will also be heavy outbound traffic on Good Friday from 9am to 2pm and even later in the north of the country.
According to the national agency Fintraffic, there may be occasional queues of cars, especially on stretches of outbound roads in the capital region and on highways 4, 5 and 9 as far north as Jyväskylä and Mikkeli.
Motorists are being reminded to keep sufficient safety distances between vehicles and to concentrate on driving while on the road.
Before setting out, it is also worthwhile checking that there is enough windscreen washer fluid in the tank, that tyre pressures are correct and that the tyres on the vehicle are suitable for the weather and road conditions.
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