The responsibilities of the Economic Policy Council have expanded following its new role as an independent fiscal institution, which came into effect on 1 January 2026. The changes are based on EU legislation requiring Member States to maintain independent fiscal oversight and increase the council’s analytical and assessment responsibilities. Strengthening the secretariat will support the council in carrying out its new duties and reinforce the independent evaluation of economic policy.
Jonne Lehtimäki, Doctor of Social Sciences, has been appointed senior economist, while Arttu Kauhanen, Master of Social Sciences, and Veera Nippala, Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration, have been appointed economists. They will take up their posts on 1 June 2026.
Lehtimäki has extensive expertise in fiscal policy rules and the sustainability of public finances, as well as experience in economic policy preparation. He has worked at the Ministry of Finance, the European Stability Mechanism, the European Central Bank and Statistics Finland.
Kauhanen will defend his doctoral dissertation in economics on 28 May 2026. He has experience in empirical research based on registry data as well as in issues related to income inequality and poverty. In addition to his doctoral studies, Kauhanen has worked in research roles at the VATT Institute for Economic Research.
Nippala’s expertise focuses on macroeconomics, forecasting methods, and wage developments. She is currently working on her doctoral dissertation in economics and has previously worked at the Labore (Labour Institute for Economic Research) and the Bank of Finland.
For more information:
Chair Niku Määttänen
niku.maattanen@helsinki.fi
+358 29 412 8721 / +358 41 545 6721
Secretary general Jenni Jaakkola
jenni.jaakkola@vatt.fi
+358 295 519 508