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Heikki Kanninen and Tuula Pynnä nominated as Finland’s candidates for judges at the EU General Court

Government Communications Department
Publication date 8.7.2021 14.05 | Published in English on 8.7.2021 at 14.08
Press release 435/2021
Photos: The Court of Justice of the European Union

Today, on 8 June 2021, the Finnish Government nominated Licentiate in Laws, Bachelor of Economics, Heikki Kanninen and Master of Laws Tuula Pynnä (trained on the bench) as Finland’s candidates to serve as judges at the General Court of the European Union for a six-year term beginning 1 September 2022. Both are being nominated for a renewed term. Once Finland has nominated its candidates, the judges will be appointed by common accord of the governments of the Member States after consulting an EU-level panel responsible for issuing opinions on candidates’ suitability to perform their duties.

Both Kanninen and Pynnä have in-depth knowledge of EU law and national judicial systems. They have also served in significant positions of trust on various occasions and their expertise has been widely utilised.
 
Kanninen has served as a judge at the General Court of the European Union since 2009 and held the position of Vice President from 2013 to 2016. He has previously served as a judge at the European Union Civil Service Tribunal. In Finland, Kanninen has served as a member of the Supreme Administrative Court and as Senior Ministerial Adviser in Legislative Affairs at the Ministry of Justice. 
 
Pynnä has served as a judge at the General Court of the European Union since 2019. She has previously served as Agent of the Finnish Government at the Court of Justice of the European Union. Pynnä has also served as a member of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court, and as a district judge. She has completed two international postgraduate degrees in the field of law. 
 
Along with the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, the Court of Justice is one of the key institutions of the European Union. The Court has its seat in Luxembourg and it consists of two courts: the Court of Justice and the General Court. The General Court has jurisdiction to hear and determine actions brought by individuals and businesses against acts of EU institutions, among others. The cases may relate to matters such as competition law, state aid, intellectual property rights or EU staff regulations. The General Court is made up of two judges from each Member State. The judges perform their duties in a fully impartial and independent manner.
 
Inquiries: Heidi Kaila, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Legislative Affairs, tel. +358 295 160 313, Prime Minister’s Office