Development and renovation of the Vaalimaa border crossing
At the Vaalimaa border crossing point, the old parking area for lorries will be renovated to meet the current needs. The X-ray scanning equipment will be renewed and the staff's working conditions in the passenger traffic centre will be improved by renewing the customer service points. The project, scheduled to be completed in 2022, is part of the South-East Finland - Russia CBC.
Background to the project
The Vaalimaa border control station is the busiest border crossing point for passenger traffic between Finland and Russia. It is located in the village of Vaalimaa, in Virolahti municipality.
When opened in 1958, Vaalimaa-Torfyanovka was the first crossing point for road traffic between Finland and the Soviet Union.
On the Russian side, the border crossing point is called Torfyanovka (МАПП Торфяновка, MAPP Torfyanovka in Russian, or Torfyanovka international automobile checkpoint). In 2019, a total of 2,463,000 border crossings were recorded at the Vaalimaa border crossing point.
Project costs and funding
The South-East Finland - Russia CBC 2014-2020 is a cross-border cooperation programme aimed at promoting the attractiveness of the region. The programme is funded by the European Union and the Republic of Finland. The EU Commission has approved funding for a total of six projects aimed at improving the security and flow of traffic at border crossing points between Finland and Russia.
The ENI CBC (European Neighbourhood Instrument, Cross Border Cooperation) grant funding agreement relating to the development of the Vaalimaa border crossing point was signed between the Managing Authority of the South-East Finland - Russia CBC programme and FTIA on 1 May 2019.
The budget for the development project is EUR 5.60 million, of which the grant covers EUR 4.48 million. The FTIA's share of the project is EUR 1.28 million, for which we will receive a subsidy amounting to EUR 1.03 million.
The project will be implemented within three years of the signing of the funding agreement.
Objectives of the project
The development project for the Vaalimaa border crossing point will make changes in the lane arrangements for road traffic to improve the flow of traffic. The development of control systems will improve the working conditions of the border control staff. These arrangements will slightly increase the capacity of the border crossing point, making it sufficient long into the future.
The partners in the project are the FTIA, the ELY Centre for South-East Finland, the Finnish Border Guard, Customs, Senate Properties and ITMF Oy.
Progress of project
The grant funding agreement between the Managing Authority of the South-East Finland - Russia CBC programme and FTIA was signed on 1 May 2019.
The South-East Finland - Russia CBC 2014-2020 is a cross-border cooperation programme funded by the European Union and Finland.
