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M. Continuo

Finland appoints Eurosceptic, anti-bailout foreign minister


    HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's new government has picked Timo Soini, leader of The Finns, a Eurosceptic party, as its new foreign and Europe minister, reinforcing a hardline stance over euro zone bailouts such as that for Greece.

    Alexander Stubb, prime minister in the previous coalition, will be the new finance minister.

    The 52-year-old Soini, whose anti-bailout line spooked financial markets in the midst of the euro zone crisis, earlier this month said it would make sense for troubled Greece to leave the euro bloc.

    "Finland is an active, pragmatic and result-orientated member state. We will seek, in a constructively critical and cooperative way, to combine the national and joint EU interest," Soini told a news conference.

    The coalition government, including prime minister Juha Sipila's Centre Party, The Finns Party and Stubb's centre-right National Coalition Party, struck a deal after weeks of negotiations and is expected to be nominated on Friday.

    The government is seeking cuts and reforms worth 10 billion euros by 2030 amid persistent problems in the economy and following the failures of the previous quarrelsome coalition.

    The coalition had earlier agreed that it could accept a possible third bailout for Greece from the EU rescue fund within its current capacity and capital structure.

    (Reporting By Jussi Rosendahl; Editing by Alistair Scrutton)