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Erkki Tuomioja

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Erkki Tuomioja
Tuomioja in 2014
Minister of Foreign Affairs[1]
In office
22 June 2011 – 29 May 2015
Prime MinisterJyrki Katainen
Alexander Stubb
Preceded byAlexander Stubb
Succeeded byTimo Soini
In office
25 February 2000 – 19 April 2007
Prime MinisterPaavo Lipponen
Anneli Jäätteenmäki
Matti Vanhanen
Preceded byTarja Halonen
Succeeded byIlkka Kanerva
Minister of Trade and Industry
In office
15 April 1999 – 25 February 2000
Prime MinisterPaavo Lipponen
Preceded byAntti Kalliomäki
Succeeded bySinikka Mönkäre
President of theNordic Council
In office
1 January 2008 – 31 December 2008
Preceded byDagfinn Høybråten
Succeeded bySinikka Bohlin
Personal details
Born
Erkki Sakari Tuomioja

(1946-07-01)1 July 1946(age 78)
Helsinki,Finland
Political partySocial Democratic
Spouse
Marja Helena Rajala
​
(m.1978)​
Alma materUniversity of Helsinki
Websitetuomioja.org

Erkki Sakari Tuomioja(born 1 July 1946) is a Finnish politician and has previously been a member of theFinnish Parliament.From 2000 to 2007 and 2011 to 2015, he served as theminister for foreign affairs.He was president of theNordic Councilin 2008.[2]

Tuomioja is a member of theSocial Democratic Party of Finland,although his political views are thought to be more to the left than the party line. He is also a member ofATTAC.In 1975, Tuomioja datedTarja Halonenwho later became the president of Finland.[3]

Biography

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Erkki, mother Vappu and father Sakari in 1961

Tuomioja comes from a family of politicians. His fatherSakari Tuomiojawas a prominentliberalFinnish politician and diplomat, and the challenger ofUrho Kekkonenfor theconservativesand liberals in the1956 presidential elections.His maternal grandmother wasHella Wuolijoki,theEstonianborn writer andsocialistactivist.[4]

Tuomioja holds the degrees of Master of Social Sciences (1971) and Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration (1974) from theHelsinki School of Economics,as well as Licentiate in Social Sciences (1980) and Doctor in Social Sciences (1996) from theUniversity of Helsinki.In addition toFinnish,Tuomioja speaksSwedish,English,French,GermanandEstonian.[5]

Tuomioja has been a member of theFinnish Parliament1970–1979 and 1991–present. He held the position ofminister of trade and industryinLipponen's2nd government,[6]and became theminister of foreign affairsafter Tarja Halonen was elected as president of Finland.[7]Tuomioja is the longest serving minister for foreign affairs of Finland.

Tuomioja, like several other Finnish socialist politicians of today, took part in the illegal occupation of the Old Student House (Vanha ylioppilastalo) inHelsinkion 25 November 1968. He was a member of the anti-war group Committee of 100 of Finland and took part in the so-calledErik Schüllercase, in which a group of students made public incitement against obligatory conscription. Despite his anti-war stance, Tuomioja did carry out his own mandatory military service and is a reservist staff sergeant.[5]

Tuomioja is the author of several books. HisA Delicate Shade of Pinkabout his grandmotherHella Wuolijokiand her sisterSalme Murrikwon the Non-FictionFinlandia Prizein 2006. The book was originally written in English and translated to Finnish asHäivähdys punaista.[4]In the 1970s and 1980s he was theeditor-in-chiefofYdin,a foreign policy and political magazine.[8]

Tuomioja was behind the initiative to establishHistorians without Bordersin Finland as an NGO. He has acted as Chairman of the Board of HWB Finland since the founding meeting in the summer of 2015.[9]Tuomioja is a declaredatheist.[10]

European Union presidency

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When Finland held the rotatingEuropean Union presidencyin the second half of 2006, Tuomioja had a prominent role as the spokesman of European Union foreign policy. He was among the first to demand an immediatecessation of hostilitiesin the2006 Israel–Lebanon conflict.[11]He was one of Finland's most dominant politicians in the 1990s.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland – Ministers of Foreign Affairs".Valtioneuvosto.fi. Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2011.Retrieved30 January2018.
  2. ^"Nordisk Råds tidligere præsidenter – Nordisk samarbeid"(in Norwegian). Norden. Archived fromthe originalon 15 October 2012.Retrieved12 September2012.
  3. ^"Tuomiojalla ja Halosella suhde – 25 vuotta sitten".Ilta-Sanomat(in Finnish). 4 October 2000.Retrieved7 January2021.
  4. ^abTuomioja, Erkki: Häivähdys punaista, s. 374. Kustannusosakeyhtiö Tammi, 2006.ISBN951-31-3693-0ISBN978-951-31-3693-2.
  5. ^ab"Tuomioja.org, henkilötiedot".Erkki Tuomioja.Retrieved7 February2015.
  6. ^"Finnish Government – Ministers of Trade and Industry".Valtioneuvosto.fi. Archived fromthe originalon 12 June 2018.Retrieved30 March2018.
  7. ^"Eduskunta – kansanedustajat".Eduskunta. Archived fromthe originalon 5 October 2012.Retrieved12 September2012.
  8. ^Iina Soiri; Pekka Peltola (1999).Finland and National Liberation in Southern Africa.Stockholm: Elanders Gotab. p. 41.ISBN978-91-7106-431-8.
  9. ^"Erkki Tuomioja".Historians without Borders.Retrieved7 May2018.
  10. ^Tuomas Manninen (4 January 2008)."Ateisti Erkki Tuomioja: Teologit ulos yliopistosta! - Ilta-Sanomat".Iltasanomat. Archived fromthe originalon 26 May 2012.Retrieved12 September2012.
  11. ^"Finnish FM: Israel destroying Lebanon, not Hizbullah".YnetNews.10 August 2006.
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Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Foreign Affairs
2000–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Foreign Affairs
2011–2015 		Succeeded by
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