Merja Kyllönen

Merja Kyllönen (born 25 January 1977) is a Finnish politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Finland. She is a member of the Left Alliance, part of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left. She was the Minister of Transport in Katainen Cabinet 2011–2014. Since 2014, she has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), representing Finland.[2]

Merja Kyllönen
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
Assumed office
1 July 2014
ConstituencyFinland
Minister of Transport
In office
22 June 2011 – 24 April 2014
Prime MinisterJyrki Katainen
Preceded byAnu Vehviläinen
Succeeded byHenna Virkkunen
Member of the Finnish Parliament
In office
21 March 2007 – 30 June 2014
ConstituencyOulu[1]
Personal details
Born (1977-01-25) 25 January 1977
Suomussalmi, Finland
Political party Finnish
Left Alliance
 EU
European United Left–Nordic Green Left
Websitewww.merjakyllonen.fi

In 2018, Kyllönen was the candidate of the Left Alliance in the Finnish presidential election.[3] In the election, Kyllönen placed seventh with 3 percent of the votes, while the incumbent president Sauli Niinistö went on to secure his second term with a majority of votes.[4]

Early career

Merja Kyllönen graduated as a biomedical laboratory technician from Oulu Polytechnic from Suomussalmi, Kainuu region, Finland in 2000. While working as a laboratory officer and a technical assistant at a pharmacy, Kyllönen “continued her career in politics in the Council of the Kainuu region, among the representatives of Tradeka (2004–2011), and in the Parliament of Finland beginning in 2003.” She was serving at different capacities including “as a member of the Chancellery Commission and the Employment and Equality Committee. She was appointed to the executive board of the parliamentary group of the Left Alliance.” Kyllönen brought far-reaching reforms in the transport sector during her tenure as the Minister of Transport in Katainen's Government. These include “a toll system favoring public transport and decreasing the alcohol level limit for driving under influence” and government resolution to convert Helsinki-Malmi Airport into a residential area.[5]

Parliamentary service
  • Member, Committee on Transport and Tourism
  • Member, Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee

Kyllönen, as a rapporteur, supported the Fourth Railway Package.[6]

Kyllönen served as rapporteur for the controversial directive on posted drivers,[7] meant to update the Posted Workers Directive and related acts, amendments on which received very narrow and surprise majorities, including one on whether to ensure conditions of workers' accommodation and the reimbursement of expenditures related to their posting assignment, where over 50 MEPs changed their vote on the record after the result was determined.[8] The text was eventually approved in April 2019, the fourth session which debated or voted on the subject.[9]

In March 2019, Kyllönen was the recipient of the Transport and Tourism Award at The Parliament Magazine's annual MEP Awards.[10]

References
  1. "Merja Kyllönen" (in Finnish). Eduskunta.fi. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  2. "Merja KYLLÖNEN". Europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  3. Left Alliance’s Kyllönen third candidate to enter 2018 presidential race Yle News on 18 March 2017.
  4. "Presidentinvaali 2018, 1. vaali: Ehdokkaiden äänet" (in Finnish). Ministry of Justice. 28 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  5. "Merja Kyllönen". Finnish Government. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  6. "RECOMMENDATION FOR SECOND READING on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council repealing Regulation (EEC) No 1192/69 of the Council on common rules for the normalisation of the accounts of railway undertakings". 2016-12-06.
  7. "The European Parliament voted against three mandates of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) regarding reports".
  8. "Which MEPs changed their votes the most in the current EP term?". 2019-03-19.
  9. "Enforcement requirements and specific rules for posting drivers in the road transport sector ***I - P8_TA-PROV(2019)0339". 2019-04-04.
  10. Hutchinson, Lorna (21 March 2019). "MEP Awards 2019: Heartfelt reactions from our winners". The Parliament Magazine. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
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