Virkkunen, 52, a marathon runner and triathlon athlete, has been a member of the European Parliament since 2014. Prior to that, she was a minister in Finland, holding portfolios ranging from education to public administration to transport.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Virkkunen’s nomination as the executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy was perfect for Finland, home to Nokia and Angry Birds maker Rovio, which was acquired by Japan’s Sega Sammy Holdings last year.
The portfolio has great potential to influence Finland’s two most important priorities, namely security and competitiveness, Orpo told reporters during a visit in Stockholm.
“In the coming years Europe needs to focus on strengthening our security and prosperity. As Executive Vice-President I will contribute to these very goals,” Virkkunen said in a statement.
She will oversee the landmark Artificial Intelligence Act adopted earlier this year amid concerns about Big Tech dominating the new technology and its impact across a wide swathe of society and businesses.
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Virkkunen will take over from Margrethe Vestager, who served as both antitrust and digital chief. She has been tasked with working on a Digital Networks Act to help boost high-speed broadband, in a move likely to please the telecoms sector which has been pushing for Big Tech to shoulder part of the costs of such a rollout. A major challenge will be enforcing the Digital Markets Act, which seeks to rein in the power of Big Tech, and the Digital Services Act, which requires big online platforms to do more to police their platforms.
