Stefan Wallin

Stefan Wallin
Stefan Wallin in 2012
Minister of Defence
In office 22 June 2011 (2011-06-22) – 5 July 2012 (2012-07-05)
Prime Minister	Jyrki Katainen
Preceded by	Jyri Häkämies
Succeeded by	Carl Haglund
Minister of Culture and Sport
In office 19 April 2007 (2007-04-19) – 22 June 2011 (2011-06-22)
Prime Minister	Matti Vanhanen Mari Kiviniemi
Preceded by	Tanja Karpela
Succeeded by	Paavo Arhinmäki
Minister of the Environment
In office 1 January 2007 (2007-01-01) – 19 April 2007 (2007-04-19)
Prime Minister	Matti Vanhanen
Preceded by	Jan-Erik Enestam
Succeeded by	Paula Lehtomäki
Personal details
Born	(1967-06-01) 1 June 1967 Vaasa, Finland
Political party	Swedish People's Party
Education	Master of Social Sciences
Religion	Lutheran
Website	Official website

Stefan Erik Wallin (born 1 June 1967 in Vaasa) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish politician. He was Finland's Minister of Defence in Jyrki Katainen's cabinet between 2011-2012.

Wallin was born in Vaasa and studied at the Åbo Akademi University in Turku, where he graduated with a Master's Degree in Social Sciences. He worked as a reporter for the newspaper Vasabladet from 1989 to 1993 before acting as a research assistant for the Swedish People's Party. He served as a Special Adviser successively to the Ministers of Transport, European Affairs and Foreign Trade, Interior, and Defence from 1994 to 2000.

He was Deputy Editor-in-Chief and a leader writer for the newspaper Åbo Underrättelser from 2000 to 2005. He then served as State Secretary to the Minister of the Environment from 2005 to 2007.

Wallin was appointed Minister of the Environment and Minister at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs responsible for Nordic Cooperation by President Tarja Halonen on 29 December 2006. He succeeded Jan-Erik Enestam, who was also Wallin's predecessor as chairman of the Swedish People's Party. On 22 June 2011 he was appointed the Minister of Defence. He gave up the position in 2012, when he was succeeded by Carl Haglund as Defence Minister as well as the chairman of the party.

On 14 June 2016, Wallin was chosen as the chairman of the Swedish Parliamentary Group, after the previous chair Anna-Maja Henriksson had been elected as the leader of the party.^[1]

References

See also

• Israel–Finland relations
• Finance scandal of election in 2007 in Finland