Henna Virkkunen | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Vice-President of the European Commission andEuropean Commissioner for Digital and Frontier Technologies | |
| Assumed office 1 December 2024 | |
| Commission | Von der Leyen II |
| Preceded by | Margrethe Vestager |
| Member of the European Parliament forFinland | |
| In office 1 July 2014 – 30 November 2024 | |
| Succeeded by | Sirpa Pietikäinen |
| Minister of Transport | |
| In office 4 April 2014 – 24 June 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Jyrki Katainen |
| Preceded by | Merja Kyllönen |
| Succeeded by | Paula Risikko |
| Minister of Public Administration and Local Government | |
| In office 22 June 2011 – 24 June 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Jyrki Katainen |
| Preceded by | Tapani Tölli |
| Succeeded by | Paula Risikko(Transport and Local Government) |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 19 December 2008 – 22 June 2011 | |
| Prime Minister | Matti Vanhanen Mari Kiviniemi |
| Preceded by | Sari Sarkomaa |
| Succeeded by | Jukka Gustafsson |
| Member of the Finnish Parliament | |
| In office 21 March 2007 – 1 July 2014 | |
| Constituency | Helsinki |
| Member of theJyväskyläCity Council | |
| In office 20 October 1996 – 9 April 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henna Maria Virkkunen (1972-06-04)4 June 1972 (age 53) Joutsa, Finland |
| Party | National Coalition |
| Spouse | Matti Mäkinen |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Jyväskylä |
| Website | www |
Henna Maria Virkkunen (Finnish pronunciation:[ˈhenːɑˈmɑriɑˈʋirkːunen]; born 4 June 1972) is a Finnish politician who serves asExecutive Vice-President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, andEuropean Commissioner for Digital and Frontier Technologies in thevon der Leyen II Commission since December 2024.[1]
A member of the center-rightNational Coalition Party, part of theEuropean People's Party, she was aMember of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2014 to 2024. From 2007 to 2014 she sat in theParliament of Finland, during which she held several ministerial portfolios across three successive cabinets, includingMinister of Education, Minister of Public Administration and Local Government, and laterMinister of Transport and Local Government.
Virkkunen was born on 4 June 1972 inJoutsa,Central Finland, as the eldest of five children.[2] She grew up inAlavus,Southern Ostrobothnia, where her parents owned a restaurant and two bars. Early in life, she worked as agroom inHuittinen, and inDenmark with national-level horses. She studied at theUniversity of Jyväskylä, earning a Master of Philosophy degree in 1999, specialising in journalism and communication, and later aLicentiate in Philosophy majoring in communication in 2007. During her studies she worked as a freelance journalist forKeskisuomalainen.
After university, she worked as a communications planner and partner at Medita Communication until 2002, and a research fellow at the University of Jyväskylä from 2003 to 2006.
Before entering national politics, Virkkunen was active in local government. She was elected to theJyväskylä City Council in 1996, where she served until 2016, and held several positions within theNational Coalition Party’s youth and regional organisations.
Virkkunen was first elected to the Parliament of Finland in the2007 parliamentary election for theCentral Finland electoral district. She secured the fourth-highest number of votes in her district, surpassing an incumbent from her party.
During her first term in Parliament, Virkkunen was appointedMinister of Education, serving from 19 December 2008 to 22 June 2011 inPrime Minister Matti Vanhanen's II cabinet. She continued in the role in Prime MinisterMari Kiviniemi's cabinet. On 22 June 2011, she transitioned to theMinister of Public Administration and Local Government inPrime Minister Jyrki Katainen's cabinet.[3] Her portfolio later expanded to include transport, making her theMinister of Transport and Local Government until 24 June 2014, when she was elected to the European Parliament.
Before her ministerial appointments, Virkkunen served as a member of theEducation and Culture Committee and theEnvironment Committee in the Parliament.[4]
In parliament, Virkkunen has been serving on theEuropean Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (since 2014) and theEuropean Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism (since 2021).[5] In 2022, she joined the European Parliament Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use ofPegasus and equivalent surveillancespyware.[6][7][8]
Virkkunen was therapporteur on the non-binding opinion onintegrated digital platforms[9][10] and ondriving and rest times.[11]
In addition to her committee assignments, Virkkunen has been a member of the parliament'sDelegation for relations with South Africa (2014–2019) and with theArabian Peninsula (since 2019). She is also a member of the European Internet Forum;[12] theEuropean Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights;[13] the European Parliament Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals;[14] and the European Parliament Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas.[15]
In December 2020, Virkkunen received the Energy Award atThe Parliament Magazine's annualMEP Awards.[16]
Following the2024 European elections, the Finnish government nominated Virkkunen as the country’sEuropean Commissioner serving underPresidentUrsula von der Leyen.[17] On 17 September 2024,PresidentUrsula von der Leyen presented the list of Commissioners-designate and their portfolios, according to which Virkkunen will be the Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy for theEuropean Commission from 2024 to 2029.[18]
Virkkunen is married to Matti Mäkinen, a Finnish municipal manager, and together they have one son.[19]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Education 2008–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Administration and Local Government 2011–2014 | Succeeded byas Minister of Transport and Local Government |
| Preceded by | Minister of Transport 2014 | |
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