Kai Mykkänen
Mykkänen in 2023.
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
Assumed office
20 June 2023
Prime MinisterPetteri Orpo
Preceded byMaria Ohisalo
Minister of the Interior
In office
12 February 2018 – 6 June 2019
Prime MinisterJuha Sipilä
Preceded byPaula Risikko
Succeeded byMaria Ohisalo
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development
In office
22 June 2016 – 12 February 2018
Prime MinisterJuha Sipilä
Preceded byLenita Toivakka
Succeeded byAnne-Mari Virolainen
Member of the Finnish Parliament
for Uusimaa
Assumed office
22 April 2015
Personal details
Born (1979-07-31) 31 July 1979
Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
Political partyNational Coalition Party
Alma materUniversity of Helsinki

Kai Aslak Mykkänen (born 31 July 1979 in Espoo) is a Finnish politician who currently serves as Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. He is a former Minister of the Interior and represents the National Coalition Party in the Uusimaa electoral district.

Early life

Mykkänen was born in Espoo to the journalist and politician Jouni Mykkänen and Maria Mykkänen (née Sokolow). He is of Russian descent through his mother, who is a daughter of Russian emigrants.[1] His home language was mainly Finnish, but he also speaks fluent Russian. He has worked three years in Russia.[2]

Political career

Mykkänen was the chairman of the Coalition Party Youth League 2000–2001.[3] He was a member of the City Council of Espoo 2001–2008.[4]

Mykkänen was elected to the Parliament of Finland in the 2015 election with 5,260 votes.[5] He was a member of the Environment Committee and Grand Committee from 2015 until 2016.[3]

On 22 June 2016, Mykkänen was appointed as the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development in the cabinet of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä after Lenita Toivakka's resignation.[6] On 6 February 2018, Mykkänen shifted his portfolio in order to replace Paula Risikko as the Minister of the Interior.[7] In this capacity, he also co-chaired the Justice and Home Affairs Ministers Meeting of the European People's Party (EPP), alongside Esteban González Pons.[8]

In June 2023, he was appointed Minister of the Environment and Climate Change in the Orpo Cabinet.[9]

Other activities

  • World Bank, Ex-Officio Alternate Member of the Board of Governors (2016-2018)[10]

Political positions

As Minister of the Interior, Mykkänen proposed in 2018 to increase Europe's quota refugee system ten-fold, for the EU to receive 250,000 new asylum seekers per year instead of the current 25,000.[11] When the Oulu child sexual exploitation scandal broke out, Mykkänen said these things shouldn't be occurring in Finland and called for immigrants residing at reception centres to be educated.[12]

Personal life

Mykkänen has two children with his wife Anna.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Janhonen, Ulla (28 December 2016). "Ministeri Kai Mykkänen: Suomen riippuvuutta Venäjän energiasta liioitellaan – "Emme kaadu, vaikka putki tukkeutuisi välittömästi"". Seura (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  2. ↑ "Ministeri Kai Mykkänen: Suomen energiariippuvuutta Venäjästä liioitellaan". Seura.fi (in Finnish). 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  3. 1 2 "MPs: Kai Mykkänen". Eduskunta. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "Kielitaitoinen Venäjä-ekonomisti - tällainen on ministeriksi kirinyt Kai Mykkänen". Iltalehti. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  5. ↑ "Candidates elected: Electoral district of Uusimaa". Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "Kokoomuksen ministerivaihdoksille sinetti – presidentti vahvisti nimitykset". Yle. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "Virolaisesta uusi kokoomusministeri – kokoomus kierrätti myös ministerisalkkujaan". Ilta-Sanomat. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Council of the EU and Ministerial meetings European People’s Party (EPP).
  9. ↑ "Prime Minister Orpo's Government appointed". Valtioneuvosto. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  10. ↑ Board of Governors World Bank.
  11. ↑ "Finnish Interior Minister proposes ten-fold increase in quota refugees across the EU". Yle. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019. Mykkänen is advocating a ten-fold increase in the EU quota refugee system that would mean receiving a quarter of a million asylum seekers annually instead of the current 25,000.
  12. ↑ ""These kind of things shouldn't be happening in Finland," says Mykkänen". 5 December 2018.
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