President and three ministers to attend Copenhagen climate summit

Finnish delegation to have nearly 70 members and experts

Tarja Halonen

Paula Lehtomäki

Matti Vanhanen

Sirkka Haunia

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Finland is sending a fairly large delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month, even though Minister of the Environment Paula Lehtomäki (Centre) originally hoped that the number of delegates travelling to Copenhagen could be limited to better correspond to today’s level of electronic communications.
     Now she proposes that 67 people from Finland should attend the Copenhagen summit, of whom 16 would be members of the delegation, and the rest would be experts. The government will name the participants next week.
     
Leading the delegation will be President Tarja Halonen and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre). In addition to Lehtomäki, one more government minister will be in the delegation - Minister of Housing Jan Vapaavuori (Nat. Coalition Party).
     Finland’s main negotiator at the climate summit will be Sirkka Haunia of the Ministry of the Environment.
     Also expected to be named to the delegation are Presidential adviser Aleksi Härkönen, as well as Undersecretary of State Esko Hamilo, a special aide to Prime Minister Vanhanen, secretary of State Kare Halonen, and climate policy expert Oras Tynkkynen.
     
Also attending will be 51 experts - civil servants, parliamentarians, and representatives of the Finnish scientific and business communities, as well as civic organisations.
      The Copenhagen climate summit will take place on December 7th - 18th. Finland will hold talks as part of the European Union, and many of the Finnish representatives will attend the meeting only part of the time.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Lehtomäki visits Moscow to discuss Copenhagen climate goals (16.10.2009)
  Finland aims at 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (16.10.2009)
  Finnish cities stick to climate policy goals despite recession (2.3.2009)

Links:
  United Nations Climate Change Conference Dec. 7 - Dec 18 2009

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