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
  • Henna Virkkunen
« All female ministers
Cover photo of minister
“People do not want to give women too much room, they want to stick to the traditional roles. I find feminism quite natural because I am fairly liberal and want to be involved in breaking boundaries.”

Henna Virkkunen, Minister of Administration and Municipal Affairs, at a negotiation on structural reforms on 29 November 2013. Jan Vapaavuori, Minister of Economic Affairs, on the left; on the right, Gun Kapténs, Special Advisor to the Minister of Defence. Laura Kotila/Prime Minister's Office

Henna Virkkunen

Henna Virkkunen, an experienced municipal politician, was appointed as a minister during her second year as a Member of Parliament.

After comprehensive school, Henna Virkkunen pursued her interest in horses instead of going to upper secondary school. She competed in show jumping and trained horses for competitions in Denmark until 1993. Virkkunen studied journalism and speech communication, graduating with a Licentiate of Philosophy degree from the University of Jyväskylä in 2006. Her licentiate thesis dealt with resignations of ministers.

Alongside her studies, Virkkunen worked as a journalist in the newspaper Keskisuomalainen from 1993 to 1998 and as a communications coordinator and shareholder in Medita Communications from 1998 to 2002.

The youth unemployment caused by the recession at the beginning of the 1990s motivated Virkkunen to enter politics. She was elected to the City Council of Jyväskylä in 1997 and served as its chair from 2005 to 2009. In the National Coalition Party, Virkkunen was chosen as a member of the party council and the party’s board and as the chair of the National Coalition Party in Central Finland before she was elected to Parliament. She was the chair of the Women’s League of the National Coalition Party from 2008 to 2011 and the party's deputy chair from 2008 to 2014.

Virkkunen was elected to Parliament on her third attempt in 2007. She served as a member of the Environment and Education Committee and the Culture Committee and was a deputy member in several others. During her second year as a Member of Parliament, she was appointed as the Minister of Education to Matti Vanhanen’s Government to replace Sari Sarkomaa, who had requested permission to resign. She continued in the post in Mari Kiviniemi’s Government. During Virkkunen’s terms as Minister of Education, the Universities Act was reformed and a proposal was made for the new distribution of lesson hours in comprehensive schools; however, the latter fell through as it was opposed by the other parties.

Virkkunen was appointed as Minister of Public Administration and Local Government to Jyrki Katainen’s Government, and transport was also added to her portfolio when Merja Kyllönen left the Government. The key issue during the Government term was the reform of local government structures, which combined four extensive legislative projects.  

Virkkunen was expected to follow Jyrki Katainen as the party’s chair, but she did not stand for election in 2014. Instead, she focused on the elections to the European Parliament and was elected. In the European Parliament, Virkkunen is a member of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee and a deputy member of the Transport and Tourism Committee.

“People do not want to give women too much room, they want to stick to the traditional roles. I find feminism quite natural because I am fairly liberal and want to be involved in breaking boundaries. But of course, I value the traditional women’s jobs as well.” (Talvitie, Eveliina: Keitäs tyttö kahvia. Naisia politiikan portailla. WSOY, 2013, p. 190)

 

Minister Henna Virkkunen is being interviewed on a YLE programme “Ykkösaamu” on municipal mergers on 21 April 2012.

2014Days in office

Date and place of birth: 4.6.1972 Joutsa

Political party: Kokoomus

Ministerial posts

  • 19.12.2008 - 1.5.2010
    Opetusministeri, Kokoomus
  • 1.5.2010 - 22.6.2010
    Opetusministeri, Kokoomus
  • 22.6.2010 - 22.6.2011
    Opetusministeri, Kokoomus
  • 22.6.2011 - 4.4.2014
    Hallinto- ja kuntaministeri, Kokoomus
  • 4.4.2014 - 24.6.2014
    Liikenne- ja kuntaministeri, Kokoomus
EU regional policy education policy members of the European Parliament communications sector local government reform European Parliament

Photos

Photos
Henna Virkkunen and Jutta Urpilainen, Minister of Finance, at a government negotiation on structural reforms held on 29 November 2013. Laura Kotila/Prime Minister's Office
Photos
Henna Virkkunen was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2014. Pekka Sakki, STT-Lehtikuva/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