Former Finnish PM Lipponen as president in the EU

POINTS OF VIEW & SUGGESTIONS: Stimulating a forward-looking debate


Here is what I just have written in my Home Page:

www.simplesite.com/kimbrer

Suggestion: FINN as President of the European Council
When the Treaty of Lisbon hopefully soon come into force we will have a President for the European Council. A new post for a person, who will have as the main job to make the Council work efficiently and give results. He or she must be a very good negotiator, create confidence everywhere and ensure unity and broad agreements instead of being divisive and conflict provoking.

My view is that former prime minister PAAVO LIPPONEN is the ideal person for that post.

More Background:
PAAVO LIPPONEN

Former Prime Minister of Finland


Paavo Lipponen (born April 23, 1941) is a Finnish politician and former reporter. He was Prime Minister of Finland from 1995 to 2003 and Chairman of the Finnish Social Democratic Party from 1993 to 2005. He also served as Speaker of the Parliament of Finland 2003-2007.
Receiving his gymnasium diploma from the Lyceum of Kuopio in 1959, he then studied philosophy and literature at Dartmouth College for one year.
Soon after returning to Finland he moved to Helsinki where he eventually attained a master's degree in international politics from the University of Helsinki in 1971. He was the editor of the student newspaper Ylioppilaslehti 1963–1965 and a freelance reporter for the Finnish Broadcasting Company ( YLE ) 1965–1967.
Lipponen first came into the political limelight when he was secretary to the then Prime Minister Mauno Koivisto from 1979 to 1982. Frequently having to substitute for the busy PM, Lipponen was soon dubbed vara-Manu ("deputy Manu" — Manu being short for Mauno).
Lipponen was a Member of the Parliament of Finland from 1983–1987 and also from 1991 until he retired in 2007. In 1993 SDP chairman Ulf Sundqvist was suspected and later convicted of a large financial fraud. Lipponen was elected the new chairman in 1993, and he led the party to victory in the parliamentary election of 1995. Lipponen formed a cabinet of five parties including both rightist and leftist parties. Lipponen's economic policies were however dominated by the right-wing. The main task of the cabinet was to decrease the number of unemployed. Lipponen was one of the EU's visionaries and tight fiscal policies allowed participation in the European Monetary Union , which resulted in the introduction of the Euro in 1999. Foreign trade increased above the European average 1995-1999. Laws for a new constitution were passed and it took effect on March 1, 2000.
Lipponen headed the SDP campaign in 1999 which resulted in losses, but the SDP remained the largest party in the parliament. The coalition formed in 1995 was renewed. During the second Lipponen cabinet, Lipponen headed Finland's six months in the EU presidency and led pro-integration and pro-expansion policies. Lipponen introduced the concept of a European constitution during a speech in Bruges in 2000.
He headed the SDP campaign of 2003, which led to victory for the SDP; however, the Center Party gained more seats, which marked the end for the cabinets of the SDP and the National Coalition Party. The chairman of the Center Party, Anneli Jäätteenmäki , formed a new cabinet, and Lipponen took the position of Speaker of Parliament. Lipponen retired from the party chairmanship in 2005 and was succeeded by Eero Heinäluoma . Lipponen left the parliament in 2007.

Additional personal information:
He is an exceptionally cultured person, which is not that common in the corridors of politics. He is a genuine European and takes a positive attitude towards NATO. However, as Prime Minister of Finland at the time, he only agreed to take part in the reconstruction of Iraq – not any attack or war. He is fluent in English, German, Swedish and of course Finnish. Nor does Norwegian and Danish creates any problems for him. On the political right-left-scale many Finns regards him rather right. One reason being that he led the Government that brought the Finnish economy back on its feet, after the country’s worst recession ever, in the later part of the nineties. Needless to say he was forced to take rather unorthodox measures, at least seen from a social democratic point of view.

The post as President of the European Council:
The Lisbon Treaty creates a new post as president of the European Council. Qualified The 27 member states of the EU will by qualified elect the president for a period of 2 ½ years at a time. The role is to prepare and run the meetings of the European Council and also in some cases to represent the EU to the outside world ( at summits, etc. ). To make the EU more efficient and faster in its decision-making the president has to be able to make everybody work together towards a solution. He or she should not be divisive or conflictual in the approach. It’s not necessarily a question of having a great world standing and making visionary speeches. It’s for an efficient president to make everybody work closely together – to convince - to create confidence and goodwill – and to find possible and holding final compromises to often very complex problems.
Paavo Lipponen has all the qualifications needed for the post.



If you want to join the discussion – and I hope you will – then do it right here:

http://www.simplesite.com/kimbrer/5741883


Niels