During a recent meeting in Tampere, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced that Henna Virkkunen would be Finland’s candidate for the next European Commission. According to Orpo, Virkkunen is an experienced EU expert and a skilled team player, and he has served as an MEP for two terms.
Orpo expressed confidence that Virkkunen’s election as the next commissioner for the coalition would not come as a surprise to anyone. He highlighted that Finland’s support for the coalition in the EU parliamentary elections reflects the trust of Finns in their pro-European stance. The Prime Minister emphasized that having a competent and hardworking individual like Virkkunen represent Finland in the Commission was crucial.
Virkkunen has a strong track record both in Finland and Brussels, making her an ideal candidate to lead Finland’s efforts in the EU Commission. Orpo outlined Finland’s goals for the next Commission term, focusing on enhancing security, boosting competitiveness, and promoting the bioeconomy. He also noted that Finland was aligned with center-right EPP in the European Parliament, with Ursula von der Leyen expected to continue leading the commission.
Orpo and Virkkunen held a press conference to discuss Finland’s positions in commissioner negotiations. They emphasized that security and competitiveness were top priorities during negotiations while also hinting at their interest in other portfolios within the Commission. However, they acknowledged that other factors such as added value would need to be considered before any decisions were made regarding portfolios.
The Prime Minister mentioned that Finland was considering creating a new portfolio focused on defense within member states’ responsibility areas, which could provide additional value to Finnish interests. However, he stressed that security and competitiveness remained their top priorities during negotiations with Ursula von der Leyen’s reelection as commission president being their primary focus.
Overall, Orpo and Virkkunen expressed optimism about upcoming negotiations for the next EU Commission term while acknowledging their strong relations with European leaders and political groups. They emphasized their commitment to working towards supporting Ursula von der Leyen’s reelection while ensuring that Finland’s voice was heard in discussions ahead of time.
In conclusion, Henna Virkkunen has been named as Finland’s candidate for the next European Commission by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. The PM described her as an experienced EU expert who is skilled at working on teams and has served two terms as an MEP. He expressed confidence that she will be elected without surprise given demands placed on EU leaders to deliver on security, competitiveness, and rule of law issues.
Orpo emphasized how Finnish support for coalition members reflected trust in pro-European stance of party leadership. Her strong track record both domestically and abroad made her suitable candidate for leading country’s efforts within commission.
Virkkunen worked closely with Orpo during press conference discussing priorities of coalition members during upcoming negotiations including security, competitiveness while also hinting at interest in other portfolios within commission.
The creation of new defense portfolio within member state responsibility areas was one possibility under discussion but ultimately priority remained on improving security and boosting competitiveness with Ursula von der Leyden expected to continue leading commission post-election reappointment process began.
