Jutta Urpilainen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jutta Urpilainen
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Urpilainen in 2022
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| European Commissioner for International Partnerships | |
| In office 1 December 2019 – 1 December 2024 On leave: 2 December 2023 – 28 January 2024* |
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| President | Ursula von der Leyen |
| Preceded by | Neven Mimica |
| Succeeded by | Jozef Síkela |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Finland | |
| In office 22 June 2011 – 6 June 2014 |
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| Prime Minister | Jyrki Katainen |
| Preceded by | Jyrki Katainen |
| Succeeded by | Antti Rinne |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 22 June 2011 – 6 June 2014 |
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| Prime Minister | Jyrki Katainen |
| Preceded by | Jyrki Katainen |
| Succeeded by | Antti Rinne |
| Leader of the Social Democratic Party | |
| In office 6 June 2008 – 9 May 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Eero Heinäluoma |
| Succeeded by | Antti Rinne |
| Member of the Parliament of Finland | |
| In office 19 March 2003 – 30 November 2019 |
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| Constituency | Vaasa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 August 1975 Lapua, Finland |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Other political affiliations |
Party of European Socialists |
| Spouse | Juha Mustonen |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Jyväskylä |
| *Margaritis Schinas served as acting commissioner during Urpilainen's leave. | |
Jutta Pauliina Urpilainen (born 4 August 1975) is a politician from Finland. She made history as the first woman to lead the Social Democratic Party of Finland. She was the leader of this party from 2008 to 2014.
Jutta Urpilainen also held important government jobs. She was the Minister of Finance and the Deputy Prime Minister of Finland from 2011 to 2014. More recently, from 2019 to 2024, she worked as the European Commissioner for International Partnerships. This role was part of the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen. In November 2023, she ran for President of Finland in the 2024 election.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jutta Urpilainen was born in Lapua, Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. Her father, Kari Urpilainen, was also a politician. She went to the University of Jyväskylä. In 2002, she earned a Master's degree in Education.
During her university studies, she spent a year in Vienna as part of the Erasmus Programme. This program allows students to study in other European countries. Before she became a member of Parliament, she worked as a school teacher.
Political Career
Early Steps in Politics
In 2001, Jutta Urpilainen was the president of the Young European Federalists of Finland. This group helps young people learn about and support cooperation in Europe. She also joined the city council in Kokkola in 2001.
Member of Parliament and Party Leader
Urpilainen became a member of the Parliament of Finland in 2003. She represented the Vaasa area. As a Member of Parliament, she worked on the Committee on Education and Culture. She was also a deputy member of the Finance Committee. She helped make decisions about schools, culture, and money for the country.
In June 2008, Urpilainen was chosen to be the leader of the Social Democratic Party. She was the first woman to hold this position. She took over from Eero Heinäluoma. She won the election against Erkki Tuomioja. She led the party until 2014. During her time as leader, the party's support changed. However, in the 2011 elections, she helped the party return to government.
Minister of Finance Role
After the 2011 parliamentary election, the Social Democratic Party became the second-largest party in Finland. Jutta Urpilainen was then appointed as the Minister of Finance. She also became the Deputy Prime Minister of Finland in the government led by Jyrki Katainen. In this role, she was in charge of Finland's money matters. She also led meetings for the Nordic Council Ministers of Finance in 2012.
During her time as Minister of Finance, Finland took a strong stance on financial help for other countries in the Eurozone. She said that Finland would prefer to think about leaving the Eurozone rather than paying other countries' debts. This statement was sometimes misunderstood by international news. Her assistant later clarified that she meant Finland did not want to be responsible for other countries' debt deposits.
In May 2014, Urpilainen ran for another term as the leader of the Social Democratic Party. However, she was narrowly defeated by Antti Rinne. After this, she stepped down as Minister of Finance in June.
Before the 2018 presidential elections in Finland, many people thought Urpilainen might run. But in February 2017, she announced that she would not seek the presidency. From 2017 to 2019, she worked as a special representative for mediation for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Timo Soini.
European Commissioner Role
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On 1 December 2019, Jutta Urpilainen started her job as a European Commissioner. She was given the job of international partnerships in the European Commission. This means she worked on how the European Union cooperates with countries around the world.
In 2023, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, chose Urpilainen to be part of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement's lead group. She also joined the United Nations High-level Panel on the Teaching Profession in 2023.
On 16 August 2023, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Sanna Marin, asked Urpilainen to run for president in the 2024 Finnish presidential election. After thinking about it for several months, Urpilainen announced her decision to run in November 2023. In the election, she received 4.34% of the votes. She did not move on to the second round of voting.
Other Activities
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Jutta Urpilainen has been involved in many other important groups and organizations.
- European Union Organizations
- European Investment Bank (EIB), a member of the Board of Governors (2011–2014)
- European Stability Mechanism (ESM), a member of the Board of Governors (2012–2014)
- International Organizations
- Joint World Bank-IMF Development Committee, a member (2013–2014)
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a member of the Board of Governors (2011–2014)
- Nordic Investment Bank (NIB), a member of the Board of Governors (2011–2014)
- Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), World Bank Group, a member of the Board of Governors (2011–2014)
- World Bank, a member of the Board of Governors (2011–2014)
- Non-profit Organizations
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- European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), a member of the Council (since 2023)
- Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), a member of the Board (since 2019)
- Finnish National Opera Foundation, a member of the Board (2017–2018)
- Finnish Innovation Fund (SITRA), a member of the Supervisory Board (2017–2018)
- Finnish National Commission for UNESCO, Chair (2015–2018)
Personal Life
Jutta Urpilainen is married to Juha Mustonen. He works for the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. In 2017 and 2019, they adopted two children from Colombia.
In 2002, Urpilainen recorded a Christmas album. It was called “Christmassy thoughts.” The album included her versions of popular songs like “Winter Wonderland” and “Jingle Bells.”
See also
In Spanish: Jutta Urpilainen para niños
