The politics of Finland take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy. Finland is a republic whose head of state is President Sauli Niinistö,who leads the nation's foreign policy and is the supreme commander of the Finnish Defence Forces. Finland's head of government is Prime Minister Petteri Orpo,who leads the nation's executive branch,called the Finnish Government. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament of Finland,and the Government has limited rights to amend or extend legislation. The Constitution of Finland vests power to both the President and Government:the President has veto power over parliamentary decisions,although this power can be overruled by a majority vote in the Parliament.
Claudia Benedikta Roth is a German politician. She was one of the two party chairs from 2004 to 2013 and previously served as one of the vice presidents of the Bundestag. She is currently serving as Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media in the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz since 2021.
Sandra Kalniete is a Latvian politician,author,diplomat and independence movement leader. She served as Foreign Minister of Latvia 2002–2004 and as European Commissioner for Agriculture,Rural Development and Fisheries in 2004. Since 2009,she has served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the European People's Party.
Heidi Anneli Hautala is a Finnish politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Finland. She is a member of the Green League,part of the European Green Party.
Kay Christine Lesley Patterson is a former Australian politician. She was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate from 1987 to 2008,representing the state of Victoria.
Danuta Maria Hübner,née Młynarska is a Polish politician and Diplomat and Economist and Member of the European Parliament. She has served as European Commissioner for Regional Policy from 22 November 2004 until 4 July 2009,when she resigned to become a Member of European Parliament for the Civic Platform. In 2012,Professor Hübner became a member of the International Honorary Council of the European Academy of Diplomacy.
Tarja Cronberg is a Finnish Green League politician who served as a member of the European Parliament from 2011 until 2014. Cronberg was Member of the Finnish Parliament 2003–2007. She chaired her party from 2005 until 2009 and was the Minister of Labour in the Finnish government from 2007 to 2009 as part of Matti Vanhanen's second cabinet.
Angelika Niebler is a German lawyer and politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 1999. She is a member of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria,part of the European People's Party. Since 2015,she has been serving as her party's deputy chairwoman,under the leadership of successive chairmen Horst Seehofer and Markus Söder.
Märta Elisabeth Rehn is a Finnish former politician and diplomat. She served as the Minister of Defence of Finland during 1990 to 1995 and as an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations during 1998 to 1999. She was also a member of the Finnish Parliament and parliamentary leader of the Swedish People's Party of Finland,and a member of the European Parliament.
Ana Isabel de Palacio y del Valle Lersundi in Madrid,daughter of Luis María de Palacio y de Palacio,4th Marqués de Matonte,and wife Luisa Mariana del Valle Lersundi y del Valle,was Spain's minister for foreign affairs in the People's Party (PP) government of JoséMaría Aznar from July 2002 to March 2004. Before this she was a lawyer in Madrid and then a Member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 2002. In March 2012,she was appointed an elective member of the Spanish Council of State. She currently is the founding partner of Palacio y Asociados,a Madrid-based consulting and law firm,and a senior strategic counsel at Albright Stonebridge Group,a global business strategy firm.
Sari Miriam Essayah is a Finnish retired racewalker and a politician,former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Member of Parliament since 2015. She is the president of the Finnish Christian Democrats party. She is serving as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry since 2023. Her father is from Morocco.
Paolo De Castro is an Italian politician,Minister of Agriculture,Food and Forestry Policies in the D'Alema I,D'Alema II and Prodi II cabinets.
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs is an independent research institute that produces topical information and research on international relations and the European Union. It also publishes the journal Ulkopolitiikka. It is located in Helsinki.
Sirpa Pietikäinen is a Finnish politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Finland. She is a member of the National Coalition Party,part of the European People's Party.
Hanna Kosonen is a Finnish politician and former ski-orienteering competitor. She was Finland's Minister of Science and Culture from August 2019 till August 2020.
Franziska Katharina Brantner is a German politician of the Green Party who has been serving as a member of the German Parliament since 2013.
Ditmir Bushati is an Albanian politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2019. He previously chaired the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration.
Teuta Arifi is a Macedonian politician of Albanian origin. In April 2013 Teuta Arifi was elected the Mayor of Municipality of Tetovo. Previous to her run for local elections,Teuta Arifi served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia in charge of European Affairs. Arifi was the first Albanian woman to be elected in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia in 2002. She was subsequently re-elected as Member of Parliament in 2006,2008,and 2011. She also holds the position of Vice-President of the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI),key political party of the Albanians in North Macedonia. She speaks Albanian,Macedonian,English,French,Italian and Turkish.
Lenita Anneli Toivakka is a Finnish politician and a member of National Coalition Party.
Mika Tapani Lintilä is a Finnish politician who served as Minister of Economic Affairs from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Centre Party,he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1999. Lintilähas formerly served as Minister of Economic Affairs in the SipiläCabinet from 2016 to 2019 and as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of Finland in the Rinne Cabinet in 2019.
