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Erkki Liikanen

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 Erkki Liikanen  link
(Central banker)
BornErkki Antero Liikanen
19 September 1950
Mikkeli, Finland
NationalityFinnish
Alma materUniversity of Helsinki
SpouseHanna-Liisa Issakainen
PartySocial Democratic Party of Finland
Finnish central banker, European Commissioner who was mooted as candidate for President of the European Central Bank in 2019

Erkki Antero Liikanen is a Finnish social democratic politician and a former Governor of the Bank of Finland.[1][2]

He attended 4 Bilderberg meetings, in 1999 as European Commissioner; in 2005 as newly appointed Governor of Bank of Finland; in 2019 when mooted as candidate for President of the European Central Bank; and in 2022.

He is a member of the Trilateral Commission.

Background

Erkki Antero Liikanen obtained a bachelor’s degree in Political Science (Economics) from the University of Helsinki in 1975.[3]

Political career

Liikanen was elected to the Finnish Parliament in 1972 when he was only 21 years old. Liikanen was appointed as the Minister of Finance in the Holkeri Cabinet in 1987.[4] He left Parliament in 1990 to become the first Finnish Ambassador to the European Union.[5]

In 1994 he became the first Finnish Member of the European Commission. He was Commissioner for Budget, Personnel and administration, which included responsibilities for translation and information technology.[6]

Liikanen was Governor of the Bank of Finland from 12 July 2004. As such he also became a Member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (2004–2018) and Governor of the International Monetary Fund for Finland (2004–2018).[7]

In February 2012, EU Commissioner Michel Barnier asked Liikanen to chair a group of experts to assess the need for structural reforms to the EU banking sector. Their works is known as the Liikanen report was published on 2 October 2012.

Liikanen was also the chairman of Finnish Red Cross between June 2008 and June 2014.

In early 2019, a Reuters poll of economists found that while Benoît Cœuré was considered best-suited for the role as President of the European Central Bank, the most likely compromise candidate was Liikanen.[8]

Positions held

  • Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Finland, 12 July 2004– (Present position)
  • 1995–2004 Member of the European Commission, Brussels
  • 1990–1994 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Head of Finnish Mission to the European Union, Brussels
  • 1987–1990 Minister of Finance
  • 1983–1987 Parliamentary Trustee to the Bank of Finland (Vice-Chairman), Speaker's Council
  • 1981–1987 Secretary-General of the Social Democratic Party
  • 1980–1989 Member and subsequently Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Outokumpu (steel)
  • 1978, 1982, 1988 Elected as Member of the Electoral College to select the Finnish President
  • 1972–1990 Member of Parliament; member of Cultural Affairs Committee (1972–1975), Agriculture and Forestry Committee (Vice-Chairman) (1977–1979), Foreign Affairs Committee (member 1975–1982; Chairman 1983–1987)

Other activities

International organizations


References