Virkkunen, a Finnish center-right politician, is nominated to become the European Commission’s Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy. She hails from the lake-filled central Finnish city of Jyväskylä, about three hours north of Helsinki, and describes herself as a hard worker, “raised on oatmeal” who enjoys riding horses and running marathons.
That marks a big shift, both in personality and in policies, from her predecessor, France’s fiery Thierry Breton. The French intellectual businessman wrote sci-fi novels, waged a high-profile campaign against major US tech companies, introducing what critics call a “regulatory tsunami” and promoted an often protectionist vision of European “digital sovereignty.”
In contrast, Virkkunen worries about overregulation. She voted against a European ban on all carbon-emitting vehicles by 2035, arguing that the move would hinder innovation on biofuels. Last year, she urged the Commission to ‘remove unnecessary regulation’ on telecoms that slows the implementation of 5G networks. Since being nominated as Commissioner, she has met with representatives from the Finnish tech industry, including Nokia’s CEO Pekka Lundmark. Her mission letter prioritizes bolstering European competitiveness.
It’s a big contrast with her predecessor’s bad-mouthing of tech billionaires. She emphasizes compromise, says Laura Rissanen, Finnish State Secretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. At the same time, Sini Korpinen, a City Council member in Helsinki adds that Virkkunen ‘is not afraid of situations where people have a different opinion than herself. She doesn’t back away just because the situation is uncomfortable.”
Virkkunen declined an interview request.
Europe’s new digital czar is the oldest of five children. Born in 1972, she grew up the small town of Alavus in Western Finland, where her parents founded and ran a bar. As a teenager, she moved to Jyväskylä and graduated from the University of Jyväskylä. To this day, Virkkunen lives in the university town with her husband Matti Mäkinen, a local Finnish politician, and son Väinö.
“I have always been a hard worker,” Virkkunen says. She worked at a horse stable at age 16, and did stints at an ice cream stall, a clothes shop, and distributing newspapers. In recent years, Virkkunen has balanced responsibilities as European parliamentarian with her role as Jyväskylä City Councillor, chair of a local baseball team and a horse owner association. Her favorite hobby is running marathons.
Virkkunen entered politics in 1994, the same year Finland voted to join the EU. Her career took off in 2007 when, on her third attempt, voters chose her to represent them in the Finnish Parliament for the center-right National Coalition Party. From 2008 onward, Virkkunen served as Minister of Education (2008-2011), Minister of Public Administration and Local Government (2011-2014), and Minister of Transport and Local Government (2014), before winning a seat on the European Parliament in 2014.
Her rise has not been without conflict. As Minister of Local Government, she merged local towns into larger cities, in order to increase the efficiency of public services. Rural dwellers protested. Virkkunen stood her ground. Jyrki Katainen, former Finnish Prime Minister and European Commission Vice-President points out that Virkkunen “did not give in one bit”. Her experience leading difficult reforms in domestic politics will be useful as Tech Commissioner, Katainen says.
According to colleagues, Virkkunen is knowledgeable, composed, and modest, capable of collaborating across party lines. She’s “strong-willed’ yet “adept at finding balanced ground and working towards mutual solutions,” Finnish MEP and social democrat Maria Guzenina writes. Katainen says Virkkunen reminds him of Angela Merkel, in her perseverance, hard-working attitude, and leadership style.
From the beginning of her political career, Virkkunen has described her goal as encouraging people to develop their abilities and be entrepreneurs. She is a vocal advocate for small and medium-size businesses and has worked to reduce their regulatory burden. She supports revising Europe’s strict GDPR privacy rules to boost innovation.
As Commissioner, Virkkunen is tasked with enforcing key new tech regulations, including the Digital Services Act, which requires platforms to reinforce content moderation, and the Digital Markets Act, which aims to reign in “gatekeepers.” Since joining the European Parliament in 2014, Virkkunen has worked on these regulations.
But she also aims to boost Europe’s lagging tech investment. Her mission letter tasks her with driving investment and research on frontier technologies, including semiconductors, Internet of Things space tech, and cloud computing. Virkkunen often draws on her home country’s experience with technology. A Member of D9+ countries pioneering digitalization, Finland is in many ways a digital poster child. The country is world-leading in digital skills.
Security is the other issue at the top of Virkkunen’s agenda, not least given Finland’s proximity to Russia. Virkkunen wants to strengthen Europe’s Eastern Border, combat Russian hybrid operations, and support Ukraine at all costs. She has criticized Europe’s dependency on China and Russia in supplying critical raw materials and welcomed the aim to double Europe’s share of semiconductor production in the Chips Act. At the same time, Virkkunen argues that European sovereignty is important “only to the extent that it must not mean protectionism or turning inward”.
How Virkkunen will interpret the term “tech sovereignty” remains to be seen. Look for some initial answers at upcoming parliamentary confirmation hearings, according to leaked questions.
Bar a surprising Parliament veto of her nomination, Henna Virkkunen will shape EU policy over a five-year period that looks critical in determining Europe’s future. Europe must reinvigorate it struggling tech sector, in the face of intense competition from the US and China. If anyone is up to the task, perhaps it is a marathon runner.
Bill Echikson is a CEPA non-resident Senior Fellow and editor of Bandwidth.
Oona Lagercrantz is an intern for CEPA’s Digital Innovation Initiative.
Bandwidth is CEPA’s online journal dedicated to advancing transatlantic cooperation on tech policy. All opinions expressed on Bandwidth are those of the author alone and may not represent those of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis. CEPA maintains a strict intellectual independence policy across all its projects and publications.
