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Jutta UrpilainenFinnish politician, MP
Date of Birth: 04.08.1975
Country:  Finland |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Political Career
- Rise in the Social Democratic Party
- Member of Parliament and Minister of Finance
- Loss in SDP Leadership Race
- Post-Ministerial Career
- EU Commissioner for International Partnerships
- Personal Life
Early Life and Education
Jutta Urpilainen was born in Helsinki, Finland, to Kari Johannes Urpilainen, a parliamentary advisor, and Pirjo Riitta Urpilainen, a teacher. She graduated from the University of Jyväskylä in 2002 with a Master's degree in Education and completed a course in Educational Management in 2002-2003.
Political Career
Urpilainen's political journey began in 2001 when she was elected Chair of the European-Finnish Youth Association. She served as a school teacher before becoming a parliamentary assistant.
Rise in the Social Democratic Party
In the summer of 2008, Urpilainen was elected Chair of the Finnish Social Democratic Party (SDP), becoming the first woman to lead the party in Finnish history. She was re-elected for a third term in 2012.
Member of Parliament and Minister of Finance
Urpilainen has been a member of the Finnish Parliament since March 19, 2003. In 2011, she was elected First Vice-Speaker of the Parliament, receiving 193 out of 200 votes. From June 22, 2011, to June 6, 2014, she served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the Katainen Cabinet. She implemented a strict austerity policy in response to the Greek economic crisis.
Loss in SDP Leadership Race
In 2014, Urpilainen lost the SDP leadership election to Antti Rinne. She subsequently resigned as Minister of Finance on June 6, 2014, and resumed her role as a regular member of Parliament.
Post-Ministerial Career
In 2016, Urpilainen expressed interest in running for president in 2018. In 2017, she was appointed Special Envoy for Conflict Resolution by the Finnish Foreign Minister, Timo Soini.
EU Commissioner for International Partnerships
In 2019, Urpilainen was elected to the Finnish Parliament. In September 2019, she was announced as the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships in the von der Leyen Commission. She assumed the role on December 1, 2019, becoming the first Finnish woman to hold a position in the European Commission.
Personal Life
Urpilainen lives in Kokkola. She and her husband adopted a boy from Colombia in 2016 and a three-year-old girl in 2019, for which she took a parental leave.
In addition to her political career, Urpilainen has written a book and recorded a Christmas album.
