Finnish EU commissioner Henna Virkkunen to appear on morning show for Europe Day

Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice president, will be a guest on Finland’s Ykkösaamu morning programme on Saturday to mark Europe Day, reports Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

Virkkunen, a member of Finland’s National Coalition Party, was recently named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine. In her role, she oversees security, technology, and democracy within the EU Commission.

The broadcast, hosted by Seija Vaaherkumpu, will explore whether the EU can maintain economic stability and security amid rising pressure from the US, China, and Russia as global power structures shift.

The live programme will air on Yle TV1 and the Yle Areena streaming service at 10:05 local time on Saturday. Viewers were invited to submit questions for Virkkunen in advance.

Europe Day, celebrated annually on 9 May, commemorates the 1950 proposal by France’s foreign minister to pool French and German coal and steel production—a move that transformed post-war rivalries into economic cooperation and laid the groundwork for the European Union.