Finnish and Estonian interior ministers meet, Finnish prime minister to visit
Meeting in Helsinki on Wednesday, the interior ministers of Estonia and Finland, Hanno Pevkur and Paula Risikko, spoke about intensifying the countries’ cooperation in the field of internal security as well as concerning European Union initiatives.
The ministers said that the countries’ common positions with regard to European Union legislative acts was what made it easier to achieve individual goals as well, spokespeople for the Estonian Interior Ministry said.
“We think alike when it comes to both initiatives concerning the firearms directive, and topics of migration. It’s important for both of us that member states are left enough decision-making power to develop the national legal space,” Pevkur said, adding that in the opinion of both Estonia and Finland, Europe needed a common understanding to combat the dissemination of illegal firearms.
The ministers also discussed topics of migration. “We wish for countries to be able to make decisions on the EU Council together, respecting the principle of voluntariness,” Pevkur said.
Other topics discussed by the ministers included the structure of civil defense of Estonia and Finland, and the rescue service reform launched in Finland.
Upcoming working visit of Finnish prime minister
Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä will arrive for a working visit in Tallinn tomorrow Thursday. Sipilä will meet Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas.
The main topics of the meeting will be bilateral relations between Estonia and Finland, cooperation in the field of information and communications technology (ICT), economic cooperation, and the celebrations of the centenaries of both countries. The prime ministers will also talk about topical issues of the European Union as well as security matters of the Baltic Sea area, and Estonia's upcoming presidency of the EU Council.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: BNS