Finland’s movers and shakers

Matti Vanhanen, the prime minister. Fifty-year-old Vanhanen is generally regarded as a solid but rather dry prime minister.

He is expected to do a good but unflamboyant job handling the Finnish presidency. A former journalist, he has a good knowledge of EU affairs, having been the Finnish parliament's representative in the Convention which drafted the EU constitution. But he is seen as someone who values EU membership for pragmatic reasons rather than out of a heartfelt commitment to the cause of European integration, especially compared to the last Social Democrat prime minister Paavo Lipponen. "He's not a visionary," says one Finnish political observer. In the past he opposed Finland joining the EU and the euro. This may in part be down to his background in the Centre (Keskusto) Party which he joined in 1976. The party has a strong rural base and tends to be less economically liberal than its sister parties in the European Parliament's liberal ALDE group. In 2003 he won his first ministerial post at the defence ministry in the government of Anneli JŠŠtteenmŠki. Vanhanen took over as prime minister two months later after JŠŠtteenmŠki was accused of using confidential foreign ministry documents to discredit her rival Lipponen. Observers say that he will be a good president of the European Council, who will be at ease focusing on getting results and will enjoy the backing of all parties for a successful presidency, especially following the broad acclaim for the country's performance in 1999.

Tarja Halonen, the president

President Tarja Halonen, re-elected for a second term this January, will have a limited role during most of the Finnish presidency apart from the summits which she will be attending. Halonen, a Social Democrat, is one of Finland's most popular politicians, registering approval ratings earlier this year of 74% and 51.8% of the votes in the second round of the Presidential elections against her rival, Sauli Niinistö of the National Coalition Party. Her politics are on the left of Finnish opinion. She is strongly opposed to NATO membership although, ironically, she was Finnish foreign minister during the country's last presidency in 1999 which oversaw major decisions to advance the EU's security and defence agenda as well as confirming candidate status for NATO member Turkey. She has close links to Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. Halonen received an unexpected boost to her international profile in 2005 when US chat show-talk Conan O'Brien made play of his similarity to her and subsequently backed her re-election campaign.

Erkki Tuomioja, the foreign minister

After seven years in the job, Tuomioja is the longest serving foreign minister in the Council of Ministers following the departure of Joschka Fischer in 2005. The Social Democrat and former journalist has frequently taken firm positions on key issues of Finnish foreign policy and then ended up on the losing side. In turn, he has spoken out against Finnish membership of the European Economic Area, the Council of Europe, the EU and the eurozone. But, observers say, he has developed a talent for rationalising his previous stances. Like President Tarja Halonen, he is against NATO membership and is expected to have difficulties in his dealings with the US because of the massive gulf between Finnish foreign policy and Washington's stance. He is also reported to be a supporter of the ATTAC campaign which is calling for a tax on financial market transactions. He is widely recognised as a very talented intellectual with a good command of languages which will stand him in good stead for the presidency.

Eikka Kosonen, the permanent representative to the EU

Finland's man in Brussels will undoubtedly be a key player during the presidency. Eikka Kosonen will be able to draw on years of experience in EU affairs, both as permanent representative since 2002 and as a former director-general of the EU secretariat in the foreign ministry in 1994-2000. Council sources say he is "ready for a fight", referring to Finland's very thorough preparations for their second six-month term at the helm of the EU since joining in 1995. He is rated highly by his peers, both professionally and personally, and receives praise for strong communications skills, for which Finns are not generally renowned. "I'd give him seven out of ten [for being outgoing] whereas for most Finns it's more like three out of ten," said one diplomat. Officials say that while he is well aware that the Finnish presidency will be a "transit" one, leading the way to the German presidency from next January, he expects to get a lot of business done before December. He will also try to get decisions taken in Brussels, rather than having the national capital run the show as happened under the British and Austrian presidencies.

Eero Heinaluoma, the finance minister

Leader of the Finnish Social Democratic Party and deputy Prime Minister, Eero HeinŠluoma is a stalwart of the Finnish trade unions and has been likened by some political analysts as the "John Prescott" of the government, a reference to the UK's deputy prime minister who rose from the ranks of the maritime workers' union. The finance minister shares the same ability to get political deals done through long-standing union and party contacts. But unlike Finland's prime minister and foreign minister, his heart, it is said, is in Europe. He sat on the board of the Finnish European Movement in 1994-99. HeinŠluoma lacks experience in the Ecofin Council, having become finance minister only in September 2005 and has been taking intensive English lessons to prepare for the presidency.

Kari Rajamaki, the interior minister

Social Democrat Kari Rajamaki is known for tough views on immigration. He is expected to handle, together with Jari Luotu, secretary of state for European integration, negotiations on the use of the 'passerelle' clause, by which police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters would be brought from the intergovernmental to the community pillar, with greater powers for the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice and the possibility of qualified majority voting among member states.

Leena Luhtanen, the justice minister

Social Democrat Leena Luhtanen, formerly transport minister in the Lipponen government, is not seen as one of the big hitters of the Finnish presidency, having only joined the justice ministry in September 2005 and not having a background as a trained lawyer. Her command of English is also questioned.

Paula Lehtomaki, the trade and development minister

This young Centre Party minister will effectively act as Europe minister and will be responsible for relations with the European Parliament during the presidency.

Jari Luoto, the state secretary for European integration

Luotu is expected to be responsible for sounding out national capitals on ways forward on the constitution, especially on the proposal to change the way decisions in the areas of police and judicial co-operation are agreed.

Matti Vanhanen, the prime minister. Fifty-year-old Vanhanen is generally regarded as a solid but rather dry prime minister.

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