Finland has introduced round-the-clock control on the border with Norway to prevent cars with Russian license plates from entering the country
Until now, Russian cars could freely enter the country through Norway
Additional forces have been deployed to the border between Finland and Norway to prevent cars with Russian license plates from entering the EU.
Source. This was reported by the Barents Observer, cited by the BBC.
"Significant forces have been deployed to the north to prevent Russian cars from entering the country via one of the six cross-border roads," the article says.
On September 8, the European Commission published clarifications on imports and exports from Russia. According to the document, the import of personal cars and personal belongings (a list of more than 150 items) to the EU is prohibited. After the introduction of the new measures, Norway remains the only European country that can still be entered from Russia by a car with Russian license plates. It is not a member of the European Union, but it is part of the Schengen area.
Earlier, the media wrote that the Norwegian authorities are also preparing to introduce a similar ban, which will take effect on October 3.
However, so far, in theory, cars with Russian license plates can cross the border with Norway and then reach Finland in less than an hour.
"As of Monday, September 25, nine cars registered in Russia were turned around at the border with Norway," Reetta Salonen, head of the Finnish customs' public relations department, told Barents Observer. The authorities did not specify how much the round-the-clock control at the border, where usually only spot checks were carried out, costs the budget.
Background. As a reminder, Norway has banned entry for cars with Russian license plates, the country's Foreign Ministry has announced. The decision will come into force on October 3. Earlier, Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia announced the same ban.
