MEP Satu Hassi

Hassi, Satu Maijastiina
Member of the European Parliament

Licensiate of Technology in Electrical Engineering

Party:

Green League
 

Born June 3, 1951 Helsinki, Finland

Residence Tampere
Married to PhD Jukka Valjakka
Two adult daughters

Education:

MSc in Electrical Power Engineering Helsinki University of Technology 1979
Licensiate of Technology in Electrical Power Engineering Tampere University of Technology 1985

Professional career:

Research and Design Engineer at Oy Tampella Ab Tamrock 1979-81
Teacher at Tampere University of Technology 1981-85
Freelance writer 1985-1991

Political career:

Member of Tampere City Council 1985-2000
Member of Parliament 1991-2004, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Environment 2003-2004
Minister for Environment and Development cooperation from April 1999 to May 2002

Member of the European Parliament 2004-

Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety 2004-

Chairperson of the Green League 1997-2001
Chairperson of the Green Parliamentary group 1991-93, 1997 and 2003-2004

Other activities:

Chairperson, Peace Education Institute 1995-1997
Member of the Board of Directors, Worldwatch Institute 2003-

Honours:

Golden Peacock Global Award for Environmental Leadership, 2006

Hart World Refining Fuels Policy Award, 2005

International Award for Outstanding Contribution for Environment, Priyadarshni Academy, Mumbai, India, 2002

Major Publications:

No More Shame for Magdalene, poems 1984 (in Finnish)

Female Screw, novel 1986 (in Finnish)

Woman's Perspective on Technology, report 1986 (in Finnish)

The Serpent and the Tree of Knowledge, essay on women and technology 1987 (in Finnish)

The Wall Which Does Not Exist, Exercises in Disobedience, pamphlet 1988 (in Finnish)

Lilith and King Adam's New Clothes, tv-play 1990 (in Finnish)

Physics for High School, textbook of physics, 8 volumes 1994-2001 (in Finnish), together with Jukka Hatakka, Heimo Saarikko and Jukka Valjakka

My Hair on a Hat Shelve, diary of an Environment Minister, 2002 (in Finnish)

Language skills:

Inspite of being a new member of the European Parliament, Mrs. Satu Hassi has substantial experience in European level decision making, notably due to her position as Minister for Environment between 1999-2002. During the Finnish EU-presidency, in the second half of 1999, Mrs. Hassi acted as president of the Environment Council.

Mrs. Hassi was Member of the Finnish Parliament for 13 years, since 1991, until her election to the European Parliament in June 2004. At the time of her election to the European Parliament, she was Vice-Chair of the Committee on Environment of the Finnish Parliament. In July 2004 Mrs. Hassi was elected Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in the European Parliament.

Mrs. Hassi was first elected to a public office in 1984, to the City Council of her hometown Tampere. Between 1997-2001 she acted as Chairwoman of the Green Party in Finland. She has also several times been elected Chairwoman of the Green Group in the Finnish Parliament, first time in 1991-93, when she was a new MP, and lastly after the parliamentary elections in March 2003.

Mrs. Hassi's educational background is in electrical power engineering. She has noticed that an educational background in science and technology gives a good basis especially for environmental decision making. According to Mrs. Hassi, it helps in understanding both the problems and the potential solutions.