Kai Mykkänen

Kai Aslak Mykkänen (born July 31, 1979 in Espoo) is a Finnish politician and the former Minister of the Interior. He represents the National Coalition Party in the Uusimaa electoral district.

Kai Mykkänen
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
Personal details
Born (1979-07-31) 31 July 1979
Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
Political partyNational Coalition Party

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]

Political career

Mykkänen was the chairman of the Coalition Party Youth League 2000–2001.[2] He was a member of the City Council of Espoo 2001–2008.[3]

Mykkänen was elected to the Parliament of Finland in the 2015 election with 5,260 votes.[4] He was a member of the Environment Committee and Grand Committee from 2015 until 2016.[2]

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.[5] On 6 February 2018, Mykkänen shifted his portfolio in order to replace Paula Risikko as the Minister of the Interior.[6] 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.[7]

Other activities
  • World Bank, Ex-Officio Alternate Member of the Board of Governors (2016-2018)[8]

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.[9] When the Oulu child sexual exploitation scandal broke out, Mykkänen called for harsher sentencing and for immigrants and asylum seekers who commit sexual assault to be deported and/or have their citizenship revoked.

Personal life

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

References
  1. 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. "MPs: Kai Mykkänen". Eduskunta. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  3. "Kielitaitoinen Venäjä-ekonomisti - tällainen on ministeriksi kirinyt Kai Mykkänen". Iltalehti. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  4. "Candidates elected: Electoral district of Uusimaa". Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  5. "Kokoomuksen ministerivaihdoksille sinetti – presidentti vahvisti nimitykset". Yle. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  6. "Virolaisesta uusi kokoomusministeri – kokoomus kierrätti myös ministerisalkkujaan". Ilta-Sanomat. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  7. Council of the EU and Ministerial meetings European People’s Party (EPP).
  8. Board of Governors World Bank.
  9. "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.
Political offices
Preceded by
Paula Risikko		 Minister of the Interior
2018–2019		 Succeeded by
Maria Ohisalo
Preceded by
Lenita Toivakka		 Minister for Foreign Trade and Development
2016–2018		 Succeeded by
Anne-Mari Virolainen


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