Finland’s Security and Intelligence Service has launched a new project aimed at strengthening security screening procedures under the European Union’s Migration and Asylum Pact.
The initiative, known as the Migration Pact – Data Integration and Use in Screening project, or MIS, will focus on developing new systems and processes to support security checks carried out on people arriving in the country, including asylum seekers.
The project has secured €2.3 million in funding from the European Union’s Border Management and Visa Instrument, with the total budget set at €2.55 million.
The launch follows the start of implementation of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact across member states on 12 June. Under the new rules, Finland’s Security and Intelligence Service, known as Supo, is one of the authorities responsible for conducting security assessments as part of the screening process.
Authorities said the project will be used to design administrative procedures, improve the use of intelligence and develop digital tools to support screening operations.
A central part of the project involves creating a new information system capable of comparing data from people entering Finland against information already held by Supo. The agency said the process will be designed to operate as efficiently and automatically as possible.
The EU pact legislation introduced screening obligations that require member states to conduct checks on certain migrants arriving at external borders before they enter asylum or return procedures.
In Finland, the pact rules also include tighter deadlines for asylum applications, expanded use of accelerated processing and new obligations for people staying in reception centres.
Under the new system, asylum seekers must pass through separate application, registration and submission stages before their cases are formally examined. Applications deemed unlikely to succeed, including those from countries with low EU-wide approval rates, are expected to be processed through accelerated procedures or border procedures with shorter deadlines.
The reforms also introduce stricter rules for deportations and entry bans, while reception centre residents face new requirements including regular identification checks and participation in orientation courses.
The changes have faced criticism from human rights organisations and refugee advocates.
Earlier this year, the Deaconess Foundation warned that Finland’s implementation of the pact risks weakening legal safeguards for asylum seekers. The organisation argued that shorter deadlines, reduced access to legal assistance, and increased procedural requirements could make it harder for vulnerable applicants to present their cases effectively.
The MIS will receive EU funding for the first two years of implementation, while the project itself is scheduled to run from April 2026 until December 2029.
HT