Borders
The years with liberal interpretation of Schengen’s requirements comes to an end on September 1.
Most Russians go to Norway for shopping and when the ruble gets stronger against the krone follows more cross-border travel.
Russia is planning to reform it’s tourist visa system, and introduce an online, free-of-charge visa for travel to certain areas, according to reports from a number of Russian media outlets.
About 500 km of road in the Murmansk region will from now on be managed by federal authorities. It will lead to better cross-border connections with Finland, regional authorities argue.
Cross-border traffic and trade is down, but regional authorities in Murmansk still want to build a new road and border-crossing point to nearby Finland.
Russian border guards have detained two individuals that allegedly tried to make it illegally across the border to Norway.
Single-entry visas for a stay of up to 16 days will come in the start. Later, the goal is to issue multiple entry e-visas.
Two individuals from the Republic of Chad have been sentenced to 9 months in jail for their attempt to illegally make it from Murmansk to Norway.
«This is very good for tourism in Inari and Kirkenes,» says Marja Männistö, development coordinator for business in Inari municipality.
Russian officials reportedly stopped more than 1,000 people from illegally crossing the border into Finland last year, according to the Lännen Media news consortium.
More than three times more Chinese were granted visa than Russians in 2018.
Siste/ mest lest
Russian New Year celebrations, which run until mid-January, is normally a busy time for cross-border shopping. Not so this year.
Inspectors from the regional Prosecutor's Office conclude that local authorities in Pechenga must take tougher measures against extremism and terrorism.
Europe’s three northernmost border checkpoints to Russia all had a decline in traffic of about 4% in 2018.
A three-year road repair and safety upgrade is getting underway with funding from EU’s Kolarctic program.
More than €11 million will be invested in brand new infrastructure facilities at the northernmost checkpoint between the countries.
Regional leaders are on a crash course with national and international legislation as they call for the abolishment of the current visa regimes in the Barents region.
Eyes on Barents
The human rights expert Alexey Tsykarev from Russia has been refused a visa to Finland. The refusal was based on the Schengen agreement’s paragraph on diseases that concern public health.
10 years of comprehensive field work, measurements and formal diplomatic talks are completed as the new border agreement was signed in Moscow on Wednesday.
We see this as a serious incident, says the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Fleeing from conflict zones and poverty, but the dream about reaching Norway ends in Russian jail.
One Norwegian krone was traded at 8,1 rubles Tuesday morning. Cross-border traffic between Murmansk and Kirkenes is now at its lowest since 2012.
Pressure on the northern Schengen-border intensifies as several groups of migrants are detained in Russian Arctic borderlands.
One of the persons arrested for illegal attempt to cross the border to Norway is a minor.
The wildfire crossed the border on the night between Friday and Saturday at Raja-Jooseppi in Inari.
Lowest April traffic from Kola Peninsula to Norway since before the Crimea crisis.
Longread
Life of the Center for Neighbor Assistance on the border of Russia and Finland
While the Finnish Border Guard has launched serious investigation, other Finns make social media jokes suggesting unconditionally surrender to get access to Norway’s oil money and know-how on asthma medication.
Just a week after two Syrians were detained on the border to Norway, Russian border guards stopped two more.
Norway: Too early to say if this can be done at Storskog checkpoint to Russia.
Norway’s Consul in Murmansk, Jørgen Holten Jørgensen, and three others on a tourist voyage along the coast of the Kola Peninsula literally sailed into trouble.
Two Syrians got through the barbed wire fence on Friday, but where detained after 200 meters running in the snow.
For the seventh time in less than a year, migrants have illegally tried to make it to Norway from the Kola Peninsula.
21,880 crossings at the Russian-Norwegian border, up 6% compared with January last year.
