Paula Lehtomäki is the first woman and the youngest person ever to hold the post. One of the first steps in her new position is to visit all the offices of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The aim is to get familiar with the regional activities and staff members, who contribute to the cooperation with the Nordic countries. From the Baltic states Estonia was the first to be visited.
At the meeting with the personnel the new secretary general was interested in the previous operations as well as future plans. She also requested feedback on possible changes in the cooperation with the secretariat in Copenhagen. On a separate meeting our office`s and our partners` activities in Narva were under discussion. Integration, minorities and the importance of introducing Nordic culture and lifestyle in Eastern part of Estonia were also talked about.
In an interview with Aktuaalne Kaamera, Lehtomäki spoke about climate changes, which are under elevated attention in the Nordics. BREXIT, age and generic equality together with the raising popularity of the populist groups in the Nordic countries and Estonia were also briefly discussed.
Watch the interview with Paula Lehtomäki here. (In estonian and Finnish)
Read more about Secretary General Paula Lehtomäki here.