Astrid Thors Explained

Astrid Thors
Office:Member of the Finnish Parliament
Office2:OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities
Term Start3:19 April 2007
Term End3:21 June 2011
Party:Swedish People's Party of Finland
Birthname:Astrid Gunilla Margareta Thors
Birth Date:6 November 1957
Birth Place:Helsinki, Finland
Alma Mater:Helsinki University (Master of Laws)
Occupation:Politician
Term Start:2004
Term End:2013
Term Start2:20 August 2013
Term End2:19 August 2016
Office3:Minister of Migration and European Affairs
Office5:Member of the European Parliament
for Finland
Term Start5:11 November 1996
Term End5:19 July 2003

Astrid Gunilla Margareta Thors (born 6 November 1957) was a Member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2013.[1] A Finnish-Swedish politician, formerly of the Swedish People's Party, Thors is a Candidate of Law and held several senior jobs before becoming a Member of the European Parliament in 1996 where she worked until 2004. From 2005 to 2007 she chaired the Swedish Assembly of Finland.

After the 2007 elections she was chosen to be the new Minister of Migration and European Affairs in Matti Vanhanen's second cabinet.

During 2007 and 2011 Thors became a target of the increasing anti-immigration and anti-European Union sentiment. She received death threats[2] [3] that were consequently investigated by the police, and faced a lot of criticism, in parliament and especially on chat and blogging sites. This regardless of the fact that during her term, the Finnish immigration policy continued to tighten outside the EU directives. The critique Minister Thors faced subsequently led to a decision not to continue this ministerial position in Prime Minister Katainen's government, and immigration policy was returned under the Interior Minister's wings and EU policy was given to the new position of the Minister of European Affairs and Foreign Trade.

From 20 August 2013 to 19 August 2016 she was at the position of OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.[4] At this post she was preceded by Ambassador Knut Vollebaek[5] of Norway and succeeded by Ambassador Lamberto Zannier[6] of Italy.

Thors went to the Swedish co-educational school Nya svenska samskolan.

Personal life

In 2004, Thors married Juhani Terho Antero Turunen.

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Astrid Thors . www.eduskunta.fi. 6 May 2021.
  2. Web site: Finnish. Kunnallispoliitikon Thors-tappouhkaus syyttäjälle. 14 June 2010. Council Member's Death Threat to the Prosecutor.
  3. Web site: 26 February 2010. Facebook-tappouhkaus: Thors tekee rikosilmoituksen. Thors to Report Facebook Group Death Threats to the Police. Finnish.
  4. Web site: Astrid Thors OSCE. osce.org. en. 20 November 2017.
  5. Web site: Knut Vollebaek OSCE. www.osce.org. en. 20 November 2017.
  6. Web site: Lamberto Zannier OSCE. www.osce.org. en. 20 November 2017.