Katri Kulmuni's childhood home is on an old family farm where the Kulmuni family has lived since the 15th century. Her father is a rural small business owner and her mother a special education teacher. Kulmuni's hometown Tornio is close to the Finnish-Swedish border, and Kulmuni attended comprehensive school in Haparanda, Sweden, at the joint language school of Tornio and Haparanda.[3] Kulmuni studied also at The European University at Saint Petersburg.[4] Kulmuni graduated from the University of Lapland in 2018 with a Master of Social Science degree.[5] Kulmuni speaks five languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, French and Russian. Her fluency in languages attracted attention during her time as a minister.[6]
Katri Kulmuni is married to lawyer Jyrki Peisa, who works as Director at the Finnish Forest Industries. They have two children.[7][8]
Political career
Kulmuni joined the Centre Party at the age of 18. She began her political career in local politics in Tornio in the 2008 municipal elections, although she was not yet elected to the city council. She served as a member of the Tornio Youth and Culture Committee from 2009 to 2012. In the 2012 municipal elections, she received the most votes in Tornio, as well as in the 2017 and 2021 municipal elections. Kulmuni chaired the Tornio city council from 2013 to 2019. From December 2010 to June 2011, Kulmuni worked as Press Assistant to Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen.[9]
On 5 June 2020, Kulmuni resigned as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister after it was revealed that she had been given media training at the cost of 56,203 euros, which was billed to her two ministries. Two days before the resignation announcement, she told media that she would repay the cost.[15][16] On 8 June, former Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen was elected to succeed Kulmuni as Minister of Finance.[1] Subsequently, Kulmuni justified her resignation by saying that she had to bear overall responsibility for what happened when she learned that the training service was unreasonably expensive. "I didn't want the party to suffer because of this either, and I left my ministerial position. As far as I am concerned, the matter was fortunately closed a long time ago. I also paid the training bills from my own funds, even though there was no legal obligation to do so," Kulmuni wrote in summer 2024.[17]
On 5 September 2020, Annika Saarikko replaced Kulmuni as the Leader of the Centre Party.[2]
After 2020
In the 2022 county elections, Kulmuni was elected to the regional council of the wellbeing services county of Lapland. She received highest number of personal votes cast in the constituency of Lapland.[18]
Kulmuni announced on 14th February 2024 that she will stand as a candidate in the 2024 European Parliament elections. Kulmuni said that in the European Parliament she would like to focus especially on natural resource issues, opposing excessive EU regulation of Finland's natural resources. She also opposed increasing joint and several debt mechanisms. Besides, Kulmuni justified her candidacy by her willingness to restore the lost support of the Centre Party.[19] Kulmuni received 67,028 votes and was elected to the European Parliament. Of all candidates, she received the most votes in the constituencies of Oulu and Lapland.[20] A week before election day, Kulmuni gave birth to her second child.[21]
In the European Parliament Kulmuni was elected to the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Kulmuni said that she was satisfied with her seat on the committee, because the committee deals with issues related to Finnish forests and forestry, among other things.[22]
Other activities
Finnish organizations
The UN Association of Finland, Chairperson (2016–2017)[23]
The Finnish 4H Federation, Member of the Committee (2016–)[24]
World Bank, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (2019–2020)[30]
Controversy
Shortly after her 2019 appointment as finance minister, Kulmuni caused controversy when she posted an informal Instagram poll on whether the government should allow Finnish women with links to Islamic State to return from Syria, or just their children. She deleted the post and apologized after criticism by Human Rights Watch.[31]
It was claimed in the Finnish press that Prime Minister Sanna Marin did not get along well with Katri Kulmuni and called her a nuisance.[32] Kulmuni later said that cooperation in Marin Cabinet did not go well and that she had supported a stricter economic policy.[33]
