2003 in Finland

Events from the year 2003 in Finland

← 2002 2001 2000 2003 in Finland → 2004 2005 2006
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2003 Timeline of Finnish history

Incumbents

• President: Tarja Halonen^[1]
• Prime Minister: Anneli Jäätteenmäki (until 23 June); Matti Vanhanen onwards^[2]
• Speaker: Anneli Jäätteenmäki (until 23 March); Paavo Lipponen onwards

Events

• 15 April: Parliament of Finland elects Anneli Jäätteenmäki as the nation's first woman Prime Minister.^[3]
• 16 April: The Helsingin Sanomat reports that in late March, a RITEG-beacon was disassembled by thieves in Kurgolovo, Russia, who dumped the highly radioactive nuclear material into the Gulf of Finland, 100 km south of Finland.^[4]
• 10 May: The first confirmed SARS case is reported in Finland. A man who had been visiting Toronto is now being treated at Turku University Hospital.^[5]
• 23 May: A Russian nuclear energy company founded a branch to promote its bid for Finland's new nuclear power plant. Competing bids have been submitted by French-German company Framatome and General Electric. Finnish power company TVO will make its selection in the autumn at the earliest, but by the end of the year at the latest.^[6]
• 1 August: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health plans to propose an amendment to Finnish tobacco legislation which would make retail sales of tobacco products subject to a license.^[7]
• 23 August: Power outage happens all of Southern Finland for 30 to 60 minutes, because one underground line in Central Helsinki short circuits. The lack of electricity begins at 20:20 and causes radio broadcasts, public lights, elevators, trains, trams and metro traffic to stop. Also people have to be evacuated in Linnanmäki amusement park.^[8]

Deaths

Further information: Category:2003 deaths and Deaths in 2003

• 10 January: Ensio Siilasvuo, 81, general^[9]
• 16 February: Teemu Raimoranta, 25, metal musician^[10]
• 10 April: Aatos Fred, 85, chess player, two-time Finnish Chess Championship winner (1947, 1955).
• 14 April: Jyrki Otila, 61, quiz show judge and member of the European Parliament.
• 27 April: Juha Tiainen, 47, hammer thrower and Olympic champion
• 16 June: Georg Henrik von Wright, 87, philosopher, professor and writer.^[11]
• 2 July: Erkki Mallenius, 75, amateur boxer and Olympic medalist.^[12]
• 16 August: Gösta Sundqvist, 46, musician and radio personality
• 11 September: Antti Nurmesniemi, 76, designer.^[13]
• 13 September: Kaino Lempinen, 82, gymnast and Olympic medalist.^[14]
• 10 October: Eila Hiltunen, 80, sculptor.
• 24 October: Veikko Hakulinen, 78, cross-country skier, triple Olympic- and world champion, traffic collision.^[15]
• 29 November: Jan-Magnus Jansson, 81, politician. chairman of the Swedish People's Party of Finland.^[16]
• 8 December: Pekka Siitoin, 59, satanist, occultist and neo-Nazi
• 16 December: Veikko Sinisalo, 77, actor.