Reino Paasilinna (5 December 1939 – 21 July 2022) was a Finnish politician who served as a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP). He was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, which is part of the Party of European Socialdemocrats. He was in the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

from 1996 to 2009, and sat on the Parliament's

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) is a committee of the European Parliament. Its areas of responsibility relate to industry, especially technology-intensive manufacturing, information technology, and telecommunications. It also ...

. Reino Paasilinna was born on ''Aunus'', a ship on the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

, on the coast of Norway, where the Paasilinna family fled during the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

. His family is from Petsamo but they moved to

Kittilä Kittilä ( se, Gihttel, smn, Kittâl, sms, Kihttel) is a municipality of Finland and a popular holiday resort. It is located in northern Finland north of the Arctic Circle within the Lapland region. The municipality has a population of () and ...

because the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

invaded Petsamo during the Winter War. He was also a substitute for the

Committee on Culture and Education The Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) is a committee of the European Parliament. Responsibilities of the Committee This committee has focused on the well-being of all members of the human race and the increased opportunities for educat ...

, vice-chair of the delegation to the EU–

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, and a substitute for the delegation for relations with the countries of

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. The writers Erno,

Mauri Mauri (from which derives the English term "Moors") was the Latin designation for the Berber population of Mauretania, located in the part of North Africa west of Numidia, in present-day northern Morocco and northwestern Algeria. Name ''Mauri'' ...

and

Arto Paasilinna Arto Tapio Paasilinna (, approximately ; 20 April 1942 – 15 October 2018) was a Finnish writer, being a former journalist turned comic novelist. One of Finland's most successful novelists,exVirtual Finland, 2007 Archived at Wayback Machine. he w ...

were his brothers.

Career

* Master's degree in social sciences (1974) * postgraduate degree in social sciences (1989) * doctorate in social sciences (1995) * Various occupations (1951–1961) * TV journalist, director and editor (1961–1974) * Press secretary and adviser at the Finnish embassies in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

(1974–1983) * Director-General (last) and Chairman of

Yleisradio Yleisradio Oy (Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founde ...

(1990–1994) * Chairman, Union of Radio and Television Journalists (1967–1969) * Member of the board and Vice-chairman of Elisa Communications (1988–2002) * Member, Helsinki City Council (1998–1999) * Member of Parliament (1983–1989 and 1995–1996) * Vice-chairman, Committee on the Future (1995–1996) * Member of the European Parliament (since 1996) * Chairman, PSE Group Working Party on the Information Society (since 1998) * Member of Finland's delegation to the Council of Europe (1995–1996) * Vice-chairman, International Radio and Television Organisation and Vice-chairman, European Broadcasting Union (1992–1994) * Chairman, Board of Governors of Euronews (1992–1994) * Member, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) (1983–1989) * Numerous publications, TV programmes and articles * Commander of the

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President ...

(1995)

References

External links

European Parliament biography
* 1939 births 2022 deaths People born at sea Social Democratic Party of Finland MEPs MEPs for Finland 1996–1999 MEPs for Finland 1999–2004 MEPs for Finland 2004–2009 Commanders of the Order of the Lion of Finland Finnish television journalists People from Kittilä {{Finland-MEP-stub