Paula Lehtomäki from Finland took over as Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers on 18 March 2019 and replaced Dagfinn Høybråten.
“It really is a unique opportunity,” the new Secretary General stresses. Faith in Nordic co-operation has increased in recent years, both in the Region and beyond. The potential for working more closely together is greater than ever."
A 2017 opinion poll revealed a 90% satisfaction level and 70% support for even closer co-operation. Lehtomäki has experienced the trend at close quarters. “The Nordic family feels like a stable and reliable partner at a time when the rest of the world is less predictable,” she says
Paula Lehtomäki is the first woman and the youngest person ever to hold the post of Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers. “I think it is an important signal that the Nordic Council of Ministers chose a younger woman in the middle of her career as the new Secretary General,” she says with a smile.
Paula Lehtomäki was elected to the Finnish Parliament in 1999 in the age of 27 and was a member of parliament for 16 years. In 2003 she became Finland’s minister for foreign trade and development and was minister for the environment from 2007 to 2011. She was also a member of the Nordic Council from 1999 to 2003, working in the regional vicinity committee.
