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Heidi Hautala
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| Heidi Hautala |
Heidi Hautala is an experienced Green politician and a member of the Parliament of Finland. She believes in furthering environmental responsibility, openess of politics, and global justice. During the past years Heidi Hautala has been known as an active member of the European parliament. After eight years in Brussels, in the spring 2003, she was voted to the Finnish Parliament from the constituency of Uusimaa. Today Heidi continues to work closely with EU affairs as a vice-member of the Grand Committee. In addition, she chairs the Committee of the Legal Affairs.
In the past, Heidi Hautala has been active in national politics
in 1991-1995 as a member of the Finnish parliament and in
local politics in 1985-1994 as a member of the Helsinki City
council. Before tackling politics she has founded a vegetarian
restaurant, graduated as a Master of Science, and edited a
few alternative cultural papers.
Heidi Hautala has experience of chairing various groups and
organizations. In 1988 she became a young chair of the Finnish
Green League (1988-91). Only a few years after joining the
European Parliament, in 1998, she was elected as chair of
the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities. In
1999 Heidi's experience as a parliamentarian and in international
green politics led her to chair the Greens/EFA Group in the
European parliament. Heidi has enjoyed wide popularity: in
the European parliament elections, in 1999, she received the
largest number of votes by a wide margin.
Influence and hard work
During her years in the European Parliament, Heidi Hautala
was involved in many things. She has discovered that possibilities
to be influential in the EU are more to do with personal expertise
and activity rather than the size of the political party one
represents. In order to be succesful you have to be prepared
to co-operate, to work with various organizations, stakeholders
from the private sector and over party political boundaries.
In 1998 Heidi got the opportunity to be in charge of an important
legislative report on fuel quality for transport. The stakes
were high: whether air pollution was going to be taken seriously.
A great majority of the parliament voted in favour of her
report, but the representatives of EU national governments
were more adamant. The end result was a good compromise, which
has reduced air pollution in the whole union.
Against political secrecy and big boy mentality
Demanding for stricter control over the use of MEPs' monetary
allowances has been one of the most publicized themes in Heidi
Hautala's work during her time in the European parliament.
Members of the European Parliament receive money, for example,
for travel costs, communication costs and hiring assistants.
The money transfers have to be under strict control, says
Heidi. The bloated allowances received by MEPs are not necessarily
justified in every respect. If the public sees the parliament
as squandering its money it risks the chance of tarnishing
its reputation and possibly losing the credibility of representative
democracy. However, the process to change the situation is
still going on.
Seeking openness and justice in the EU, Heidi has even taken
the Council of Ministers to court, as the council denied her
access to a document on arms export rules. Heidi took the
Council to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and won the
case. The ECJ decided in 2001 that the ministers should have
considered, at least, to publish parts of the documents. The
so called "Hautala case" has become an important
precedent in European case-law for access to documents and
is widely quoted in recent academic studies.
Playing many fields
In recent years Heidi Hautala's actions have gained attention
in many areas. In 2000 she stood for Finnish presidential
elections as a candidate for the Green League. Heidi was an
important challenger for candidates of the bigger parties
and raised many important issues for discussion.
In Finland a new challenge came up in the field of development
co-operation as the Service Centre for Development Cooperation
(KEPA) chose Heidi Hautala as its chair in 2002. Meanwhile,
in 2004 Heidi started as the chair of the advisory board of
the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and
Health (Stakes). Other present activities include participation
at Helsinki Process (2003-), membership in the Democracy 2007
Commission (2004-) and membership in the Finnish National
Commission on Sustainable Development (2003 -).
Experience in politics has not only convinced Heidi Hautala
of the importance of openness in decision-making but also
of direct democracy. Potential development in the field of
direct democracy include the ideas of binding referenda and
public initiatives on national level. On a European level
progress has been made as the Initiative and Referendum Institute
Europe (IRIE) was kick-started in 2001. Heidi is a founding
member of the institute and an active member of the board.
Horticulture and the Vegetarian restaurant
Heidi Hautala has studied horticulture at the University
of Helsinki. Through her studies and hobbies she became familiar
with the grim reality of intensive agricultural practices.
The unreasonable use of fertilizers and admiration for homogenic
cultivating practices awoke critical thoughts in her. During
her studies Heidi translated books on world famine into Finnish,
and became convinced of the unfairness of the poor population
of the planet not having soil to cultivate nor money for food.
Together with like-minded people Heidi Hautala started a
study circle on alternatives for industrial cultivation. Many
of her university friends now either research or develop organic
farming practices. Heidi was also involved in founding the
legendary vegetarian restaurant Kasvis, which was open for
more than 25 years in Helsinki. The restaurant was not really
a business operation. It was established to offer an alternative
lifestyle and to create jobs: an alternative to a meritocratic
society.
Alternative journalism and politics
Environmental protection in a wider sense started to interest
Heidi Hautala in the 80s inspired by the European green movement.
She became interested in journalism and she worked first in
the editorial of the magazine Uuden Ajan Aura and later in
Suomi. In the mid 80s there was a call for more organized
action. Heidi collected names on the street to get backing
for the registration of the Finnish Green League. Politics
was not a conscious career choice for her, but she has always
believed in issues she upholds. Initially, Heidi was elected
as Green League representative into Helsinki City Council,
where she was for two periods. She started in the Finnish
parliament in 1991 and in the European Parliament in 1995.
Since March 2003 Heidi has been back to Helsinki and the Parliament
of Finland. There are plenty of challenges ahead.
Heidi Hautala is persistant with the issues she defends.
Nevertheless, she thinks that having opinions is not good
enough, you have to be able to justify them as well. Heidi
says that she is always all ears, listening to people and
prepared to also modify her views if someone else is able
to better justify another opinion.
More information in Heidi Hautala`s CV.
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