Erkki Tuomioja facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Erkki Tuomioja
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Tuomioja in 2014
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| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 22 June 2011 – 29 May 2015 |
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| Prime Minister | Jyrki Katainen Alexander Stubb |
| Preceded by | Alexander Stubb |
| Succeeded by | Timo Soini |
| In office 25 February 2000 – 19 April 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Paavo Lipponen Anneli Jäätteenmäki Matti Vanhanen |
| Preceded by | Tarja Halonen |
| Succeeded by | Ilkka Kanerva |
| Minister of Trade and Industry | |
| In office 15 April 1999 – 25 February 2000 |
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| Prime Minister | Paavo Lipponen |
| Preceded by | Antti Kalliomäki |
| Succeeded by | Sinikka Mönkäre |
| President of the Nordic Council | |
| In office 1 January 2008 – 31 December 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Dagfinn Høybråten |
| Succeeded by | Sinikka Bohlin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Erkki Sakari Tuomioja
1 July 1946 Helsinki, Finland |
| Political party | Social Democratic |
| Spouse |
Marja Helena Rajala
(m. 1978) |
| Alma mater | University of Helsinki |
Erkki Sakari Tuomioja (born 1 July 1946) is a well-known Finnish politician. He has been a member of the Finnish Parliament for many years. He also served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs twice. His first term was from 2000 to 2007, and his second was from 2011 to 2015. In 2008, he was the president of the Nordic Council.
Tuomioja is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland. His political ideas are sometimes seen as being a bit more left-leaning than his party's main views. He is also part of a group called ATTAC. In 1975, Tuomioja dated Tarja Halonen, who later became the president of Finland.
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Erkki Tuomioja's Life Story
Erkki Tuomioja comes from a family with a history in politics. His father, Sakari Tuomioja, was an important liberal Finnish politician and diplomat. His father even ran for president in 1956. Erkki's grandmother on his mother's side was Hella Wuolijoki. She was a writer and socialist activist born in Estonia.
Education and Languages
Erkki Tuomioja studied at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki School of Economics. He earned several degrees, including a Master of Social Sciences in 1971 and a Doctor in Social Sciences in 1996. Besides Finnish, Tuomioja can speak many other languages. These include Swedish, English, French, German, and Estonian.
Political Career Highlights
Tuomioja has been a member of the Finnish Parliament for a long time. He served from 1970 to 1979 and again from 1991 until recently. He was the Minister of Trade and Industry in Lipponen's government. He then became the Minister for Foreign Affairs after Tarja Halonen became president. Erkki Tuomioja has served as Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs longer than anyone else.
Student Activism and Military Service
In 1968, Tuomioja took part in a student protest at the Old Student House in Helsinki. He was also a member of the Committee of 100 of Finland, an anti-war group. This group was involved in a case where students spoke out against mandatory military service. Even though he was against war, Tuomioja completed his own required military service. He is a reservist staff sergeant.
Author and Historian
Erkki Tuomioja has written several books. His book A Delicate Shade of Pink is about his grandmother, Hella Wuolijoki, and her sister, Salme Murrik. This book won the Non-Fiction Finlandia Prize in 2006. It was first written in English and then translated into Finnish. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was the main editor of Ydin, a magazine about foreign policy and politics.
Tuomioja also helped start Historians without Borders in Finland. This is a non-governmental organization (NGO). He has been the Chairman of the Board for HWB Finland since it began in 2015. Tuomioja has stated that he is an atheist.
Finland's Role in the European Union
When Finland held the rotating European Union presidency in the second half of 2006, Tuomioja played a very important role. He was a key spokesperson for the European Union's foreign policy. He was one of the first to ask for an immediate end to fighting during the 2006 Israel–Lebanon conflict. He was one of Finland's most influential politicians in the 1990s.
See also
- Israel–Finland relations
