Ms Kristiina Pietikäinen appointed as Chair of the Management Board of the European Network and Information Security Agency

Ms Kristiina Pietikäinen, Director of Unit for E-commerce and Data Security at the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Finland, has been appointed as Chair of the Management Board of the European Network and Information Security Agency. The appointment was made at a Management Board meeting in Brussels.

Ms Pietikäinen (46) is Master of Social Sciences. She has worked at the Ministry of Transport and Communications since 1995 and since 2000 acted as the Director of Unit for E-commerce and Data Security.

Ms Pietikäinen is a strategy expert in matters relating to data protection and information security, respected both nationally and internationally. She is Vice-chair of the national Information Security Advisory Board and Chair of the working group that assesses the saving of identification data in electronic communications and of the working group that monitors the implementation of the Act on the Protection of Privacy in Electronic Communications.

European Union communications ministers agreed on the establishment of the Network and Information Security Agency in November 2003. The Agency aims at enhancing Member States' capability to respond to information security problems. It will be located in Greece and will become operational at the end of this year, at the earliest. The Agency will employ around 30 people and the budget for its term (2004-2008) is around 33 million euros.

Ms Luhtanen, Minister of Transport and Communications of Finland, is very pleased with Pietikäinen's appointment.
- In July, Deputy Director-General Lampinen was appointed as Chair of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency and now Director of Unit for E-commerce and Data Security Pietikäinen is appointed as Chair of the Management Board of the Network and Information Security Agency. These appointments show that our Ministry is internationally respected.

Mr Andrea Pirotti from Italy was appointed to Executive Director of the Network and Information Security Agency.


For further information, please contact:
Mr Harri Pursiainen, Director-General, tel. +358 9 160 28389, +358 500 787 742