Niko Korte - In English

My name is Niko Korte, and I am a Social Democrat candidate for the European Parliament. I’m part politician, part musician and part economics student. If that sounds like a strange mix, it is! But as I hope you will see, I believe I would have a lot to offer as a European Parliamentarian for Finland.

About Me

I hail from Kuopio in Eastern Finland, but I now live in the city of Turku. I moved there originally to work, but in 2007 I began studying Economics at Turku University, with minors in Statistics and Law. I am also studying Russian, which I spoke with my Mother when I was growing up.

My Political Experience

My background in politics started at my secondary school student union, and moved on to the Kuopio Youth Council. From here I was elected as a reserve Councillor, and served on the Kuopio education board. Last year I was elected to the local council in full, and my term will continue till end of 2012.

During my studies I have also been active in the Social Democratic youth and student organisations, being a board member of the national Social Democratic Youth and its local group in Varsinais-Suomi, as well as being Vice Chair for the Social Democratic group in the Turku Student Union.

My political experience has convinced me of some key priorities for Finland, Europe and the Social Democratic Party. Issues of youth welfare are especially close to me but I am also deeply concerned about standards of care for the elderly.  I think it is important we try to build a system that caters fully for both of these groups, rather than assuming their interests conflict with one another. A key aspect of this which I also believe strongly in is the need for fair taxation and income division. I believe there are many ways in which we could make the tax system in Finland fairer and more effective, without contentious or unpopular measures.

My key themes in the European Parliament elections are to do with environment and economic competitiveness, need for more and better Social Europe and European foreign policy, and especially the relations with Russia.

I believe that:

• Clean environment and competitiveness are not mutually exclusive
• Social Europe is People’s Europe

Additionally I stand behind the SDP and PES manifestos, as well as ECOSY’s aims for these elections.

My Other Interests

Away from politics I have a number of other passions too. I am a keen musician, and play guitar in a Kuopio-based rockabilly band called The Heebie’s Jeebie. I also surprised myself (not to mention others) last Autumn and started dancing at the university. My main discipline is Lindy Hop, which is a hilarious couple act danced to swing music.

The rest of my activities are more mundane. I do jogging, badminton, tennis and make the occasional gym visit. In summer 2008 I ran my first half marathon, which turned out to be a rather pleasant experience!

Find Out More

I am hoping to work with as many people as possible in my campaign. If you are a voter, party activist or just someone who is interested, please feel free to contact me, and I can tell you more about my aims and hopes! Send me an email at: niko.korte (at) nikokorte.com