New Finnish environment minister appointed

2302, 17/04/07

Centre party MP Paula Lehtomaki has been named as Finland's new environment minister after a centre-right coalition government was formed at the weekend following a general election last month. The coalition includes the Green party and the new government programme includes several major environment policy proposals.

Ms Lehtomaki was confirmed in her new post on Tuesday after holding the portfolio of trade and development minister in the previous government. On the same day it was announced she was pregnant and would take maternity leave later this year. The 34-year-old is from eastern Finland and is well-known locally for her karaoke singing prowess.

The new government's programme includes pledges to raise environmental and energy taxes, to conduct an intensified energy efficiency campaign, and to increase central government support for public transport in Finland's largest cities. Finland's waste legislation is also to be comprehensively renewed.

The programme also says the share of renewable energy should be increased significantly from the current level of 25 per cent. Hydropower and biomass energy will get more support, but proposals from the Greens for feed-in subsidies for wind power have been rejected.

The nuclear question is largely avoided.  The programme does not say whether proposals for sixth nuclear power plant should go ahead (EED 30/03/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/22943) but does say that no carbon-free energy source should be excluded from consideration in climate policy. The Greens, who resigned from a previous coalition government in 2002 in protest at the approval of Finland's fifth nuclear plant, have negotiated the right to vote against the rest of the government on nuclear issues without being forced to leave the coalition.

Follow-up: See Finnish government announcement http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/etusivu/en.jsp.

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