Skip to content
Government and ministries
  • Suomi
  • Svenska
  • English
Media
Search page »
  •  Front page
  • Current issues
    • Information and advice on the coronavirus
      • Current restrictions
        • Entry restrictions and health measures in place in Finland
      • Questions and answers
      • Information on the coronavirus by telephone and chat
      • Topical material
        • Government press conferences
        • Government press releases
        • Ministries' press releases
      • Management of the COVID-19 situation in central government
        • Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
        • Ministry for Foreign Affairs
        • Ministry of Education and Culture
        • Ministry of the Interior
        • Ministry of Justice
        • Ministry of Finance
        • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
      • Finland forward
    • Press releases
    • News
    • Speeches
    • Webcasts
    • Social Media Newsroom
    • Themes
      • Government formation talks 2019
      • State funeral of former President of the Republic Mauno Koivisto
      • Open house 2019
    • Sign up
  • Marin's Government
    • Ministers
      • Prime Minister
      • Minister of Science and Culture
      • Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering
      • Minister for Foreign Affairs
      • Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade
      • Minister of Justice
      • Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality
      • Minister of the Interior
      • Minister of Defence
      • Minister of Finance
      • Minister of Local Government
      • Minister of Education
      • Minister of Employment
      • Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
      • Minister of Transport and Communications
      • Minister of Economic Affairs
      • Minister of Social Affairs and Health
      • Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services
      • Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
    • State Secretaries to the Ministers
    • Special Advisers to the Ministers
    • Government Programme
      • 1 Introduction
        • 1.1 Our pledges to citizens on policy reforms
      • 2 Finland as a sustainable economy
        • 2.1 Taxation in a changing world
      • 3 Strategic themes
        • 3.1. Carbon neutral Finland that protects biodiversity
          • 3.1.1 Housing policy
        • 3.2 Globally influential Finland
          • 3.2.1 Policy on Europe
        • 3.3 Safe and secure Finland built on the rule of law
          • 3.3.1 Strengthening the rule of law
          • 3.3.2 Defence policy
        • 3.4 Dynamic and thriving Finland
          • 3.4.1 Transport network development
          • 3.4.2 Agriculture
        • 3.5 Finland built on trust and labour market equality
        • 3.6 Fair, equal and inclusive Finland
          • 3.6.1 Restructuring of health and social services
          • 3.6.2 Reforming social security
        • 3.7 Finland that promotes competence, education, culture and innovation
          • 3.7.1 Youth, culture and sport
      • 4 Governance
        • 4.1 Management of the strategic Government Programme
        • 4.2 Parliamentary committees
        • 4.3 Strategic ministerial working groups
        • 4.4 Ownership policy
        • 4.5 Best public administration in the world
        • 4.6 Government’s communications strategy
      • Annexes and entries in meeting minutes
        • Annex 1. Summary of discretionary changes in permanent expenditure
        • Annex 2. One-off future-oriented investments
        • Annex 3. Spending limits rule
        • Annex 4. Work to combat the grey economy
        • Annex 5. Measures to combat international tax evasion and aggressive tax planning
        • Annex 6. Entries in meeting minutes
        • Annex 7. Memo of the working group on Europe regarding the key themes of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union
        • Annex 8. Ideas of the working group on transport to develop land use, housing and transport
        • Annex 9. Fostering democracy
        • Annex 10. Impacts of benefit increases
        • Annex 11. Tables, Annex 1
        • Annex 12. One-off future-oriented investments, tables, Annex 2
      • Government Communications Strategy
        • Introduction
        • 1 Values in government communications
        • 2 Government’s core messages
        • 3 Cooperation in communications
        • 4 Measuring progress in achieving objectives
    • Division of responsibilities between ministers
    • Ministerial Committees
    • Ministerial working groups
    • Ministerial pay and allowances
    • Ministers and Parliament
  • About the Government
    • Appointment and organisation
    • How does the Government work?
      • Chancellor of Justice
      • Activities of the caretaker government
    • Role of the Prime Minister
    • Ministerial committees
    • Informal government meetings and ministerial working groups
    • EU affairs and the Finnish government
    • The Government and Parliament
    • Governments and Ministers since 1917
      • Ministers in Finland by gender
      • Governments' term in office
      • Prime Minister's age on the date of appointment
      • Finland's youngest and oldest ministers
    • History
      • Government Programmes since 1917
    • Premises
      • Government Palace
      • House of the Estates
      • Government Banquet Hall
      • Prime Minister's Official Residence
      • Königstedt Manor
      • Presidential portraits
  • Contact
    • Ministries
      • Safety information for visitors
    • Ministries Communication deparment contact
    • Feedback

Contact

Finnish Government
  • Front pageFront page
  • Current issues
  • Marin's Government
  • About the Government
  • Contact
  • en
  • About the Government
  • History
  • Governments and Ministers since 1917
  • Women as ministers in independent Finland
  • Heidi Hautala
« All female ministers
Cover photo of minister
“A politician must put up with contradictions. I try to find a balance. This is like walking a tightrope.”

Minister of Development Heidi Hautala attending the UN Conference on Trade and Development in Qatar on 22 April 2012. UNCTAD

Heidi Hautala

Heidi Anneli Hautala is a founding member of the Green League and one of its most influential figures. She is also one of Finland’s longest-serving and best-known Members of the European Parliament.

Hautala, who moved from Oulu to the capital Helsinki as a child, studied horticulture and graduated as Master of Science in Agriculture and Forestry. In the early 1970s, she was involved in establishing Finland’s first vegetarian restaurant in Helsinki and editing the new cultural and opinion journals, Uuden Ajan Aura (‘The Plough of New Age’) and Suomi (‘Finland’). In particular, Hautala became interested in opposition to nuclear power, environmental issues and feminism. Eventually, the community that had evolved around the restaurant and journals formed a political party, the Green League. Hautala became its Chair for a period from 1987 to 1991.

Hautala was first elected to Parliament at her third attempt in 1991. She later served as Member of Parliament for a second time from 2003 to 2009 and also chaired the Green Party Parliamentary Group for part of this period. Environmental protection, development cooperation and human rights have been among Hautala’s key political themes. Hautala stood as the presidential candidate for the Greens on two occasions, in 2000 and 2006.

A member of the network of the European Greens, Hautala has had a long career in the European Parliament (1995–2003, 2009–2011, 2014–), first appointed by the Finnish Parliament and subsequently as an elected representative. She has worked to promote transparent decision-making in the European Parliament and gender equality. She was elected in 1998 to chair the Committee for Women's Rights and Gender Equality. In the 1999 European Parliamentary election, Hautala achieved a landslide, bringing in over 115,000 votes, and was elected to chair her parliamentary group.

After a period of six years as an MP in Finland, Hautala returned to the Euro Parliament in 2009 and went on to chair its Human Rights Sub-Committee. Her term was cut short when she was invited to join Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen’s Cabinet as Development Minister. During Hautala’s term, current issues included Syrian refugees and the status of development aid in developing African countries.

Hautala’s ministerial portfolio also included state ownership steering issues, which attracted a lot of publicity. In October 2013, Hautala resigned from her position as a result of a political steering incident involving Arctia Shipping, a state-owned enterprise. She returned to her MEP’s seat in 2014. During the first half of the parliamentary term, she acted as co-president in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. In October 2017, Hautala was elected as a Vice-President of the European Parliament.

Hautala has held a large number of positions of trust relating to development cooperation, equality and environmental issues: she chaired the Finnish Service Centre for Development Cooperation (KEPA) from 2002–2007 and the Council for Gender Equality from 2007 to 2011, etc. Hautala also served on the Helsinki City Council from 1985 to 1994 and from 2008 to 2014.

“A politician must put up with contradictions. I try to find a balance. This is like walking a tightrope.” (Talvitie, Eveliina: Keitäs tyttö kahvia. Naisia politiikan portailla. [‘Put the kettle on, girl. Women on the political ladder.’] WSOY, 2013, p. 47.)

“In my view, what you do must be in harmony with your goals.” (Talvitie, Eveliina: Keitäs tyttö kahvia. Naisia politiikan portailla. [‘Put the kettle on, girl. Women on the political ladder.’] WSOY, 2013, p. 48.)

 

Heidi Hautala the minister responsible for the ownership-steering of State-owned companies comments on company managements' interests on YLE's MOT programme on 24 February 2012.

849Days in office

Date and place of birth: 14.11.1955 Oulu

Political party: Vihreät

Ministerial posts

  • 22.6.2011 - 17.10.2013
    Kehitysministeri, Vihreät
equality (values) development cooperation ownership steering environmental policy human rights

Photos

Photos
Heidi Hautala is one of Finland's best known MEPs. Antti Aimo-Koivisto/Prime Minister’s Office
Photos
Minister Heidi Hautala announces her resignation during a press briefing at the Government Palace on 11 October 2013. Laura Kotila/Prime Minister’s Office

Texts by: Annika Puukka, Nevelyn Media Oy and Prime Minister’s Office

Finnish Government
Valtioneuvosto | Statsrådet

Snellmaninkatu 1 A, Helsinki PO Box 23

FI-00023 Government, Finland

Tel. +358 295 16001

About the site

Sitemap

Questions and feedback