Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen made 11 negative permit decisions regarding property acquisitions. Photo: Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva
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Finland has blocked 11 property transactions involving buyers from outside the EU and EEA, citing risks to national security and defence logistics.
Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen announced the decision on 24 October. The properties were intended for various uses, including residential, commercial, and forestry activities. The applicants are citizens of Russia, Israel, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
“These decisions are part of efforts to counter hybrid threats,” Häkkänen said in a statement.
“We are rejecting property acquisitions that are judged to endanger national security, supply readiness or the organisation of defence.”
The properties are located across southern, eastern, and northern Finland. Municipalities affected include Mikkeli, Parainen, Puumala, Taipalsaari, Savonlinna, Simo, Kouvola, Parikkala, Kolari and Tornio.
The government’s authority to restrict foreign real estate purchases derives from the Act on the Obligation to Obtain Permission in Certain Real Estate Acquisitions (470/2019). The law requires non-EU and non-EEA buyers to apply for permission before acquiring land in Finland.
The blocked applications concerned land plots in both rural and urban areas. Some properties are near military infrastructure or critical transport corridors. Others are located near national borders or along strategic waterways.
According to the defence ministry, the rejections are based on case-specific security assessments. Factors considered include proximity to sensitive infrastructure, possible surveillance use, or disruption to military operations.
The rejections follow the full ban on property acquisitions by Russian and Belarusian citizens, which came into force earlier this year. The ban was introduced amid rising tensions in the region and growing concerns over foreign influence through land ownership.
Under the ban, Russian and Belarusian nationals are prohibited from buying real estate in Finland, regardless of the property’s intended use. The new decisions extend scrutiny to other third-country nationals deemed to pose similar risks.
None of the decisions have yet entered into legal force. Applicants may challenge them through administrative appeal procedures.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
