Cecilia Karin Maria Wikström, née Sundström, originally Nodbjörk (born 17 October 1965) is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

from 2009 until 2019. She is a member of the

Liberal Party of Sweden The Liberal Party of Sweden ( sv, Sveriges Liberala Parti) was a political party in Sweden. It was formed in 1923 by the anti-prohibition minority of the Free-minded National Association as a consequence of the split over the issue on alcohol prohib ...

, part of the

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; french: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe, ADLE) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Euro ...

. She is also a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

and the

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

of several books. She was married to former Swedish Minister for Education Jan-Erik Wikström from 1995 to 2010, and before that to the Swedish priest Björn Bolin. Wikström got her Bachelor of Theology at the Department of Theology at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...

in 1993. She has had various positions in the Church of Sweden, such as parish minister, university chaplain,

prison chaplain Prison religion includes the religious beliefs and practices of prison inmates, usually stemming from or including concepts surrounding their imprisonment and accompanying lifestyle. "Prison Ministry" is a larger concept, including the support of th ...

, and canon of

Uppsala Cathedral Uppsala Cathedral ( sv, Uppsala domkyrka) is a cathedral located between the University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in the Lutheran tra ...

Political career

Member of the Swedish Parliament, 2002–2009

Between 2002 and 2009, Wikström was a member of the

Swedish Parliament The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and s ...

for the Liberal People's Party (today simply the Liberals). She was Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Cultural Affairs and substitute member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Wikström has been very engaged in questions relating to

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

, in Sweden as well as in other countries. In 2009 Wikström ran for the elections to the European Parliament on 7 June. She was the third name on the Swedish Liberal People's Party list and was elected to represent the party in the European Parliament. Hence, she left her post in the Swedish Parliament in July 2009.

Member of the European Parliament, 2009–2019

Wikström is a

since 2009. She is a member of the European Parliament group

(ALDE). In the European Parliament, Wikström was from 2009 to 2014 a full member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), where she also is the coordinator of the ALDE group. In addition to her committee assignments, she was a member of the European Parliament's Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members from 2012 until 2014. In spring 2013, Wikström was appointed to represent the ALDE group in the delegation that negotiated a new agreement between the European Parliament and other institutions on how the European Parliament should have access to classified documents related to the common policy of security and foreign affairs. She was a substitute member of the Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. In the 2014-2019 legislature, Wikström was a full member of the Committee of Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and was formerly a substitute member of the Committee of Legal Affairs (JURI). On 7 July 2014, she was elected a Chairwoman of the Committee for Petitions. From 2017, Wikström chaired the Conference of Committee Chairs. She was also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on the

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...

and the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights. and vice-chair of the Intergroup for Disabled People. On 29 March 2019 the Liberal Party decided on their list of candidates for the 2019 EU election, on which Wikström would not appear.

Candidacy for European Ombudsman

In 2019, Wikström was one of five candidates for the post of European Ombudsman. In the final ballot in the European Parliament on 18 December 2019, she came in fourth, with only 38 votes.

Life after politics

Since leaving politics, Wikström has been serving as director of the Kjell and Märta Beijers Foundation, a research foundation.

Other activities

Corporate boards

* Beijer Alma, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2018)

Non-profit organizations

* Kangaroo Group, Member *

Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme *Bli ...

, Supporter * Fight Impunity, Member of the Honorary Board (2019–2022)

Personal life

Wikström has written and published two books. In 2004 she published ''När livet går sönder'', a book about crisis management. Her second book ''I tillitens tecken'' was published in 2006. She has also held various positions in national and regional boards, such as the Swedish UNESCO Board, the Police County Board and Liberal Women group in Uppsala County. Since 2001 she is the owner and executive Director of Wikström Consulting LTD. Wikström is of

Tornedalian The Tornedalians are descendants of Finns who, at some point, settled to the areas of today's Northern Sweden near the Meänmaa, Torne Valley district and west from there. History Tornedalians migrated from today's Southern Finland, mainly from ...

descent. Tiina Laitila Kälvemark

References

External links

www.ceciliawikstrom.eu

Cecilia Wikström - Liberal People's Party

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wikstrom, Cecilia 1965 births 20th-century Swedish Lutheran priests 21st-century Swedish Lutheran priests 21st-century Swedish women politicians 21st-century women MEPs for Sweden Articles containing video clips Liberals (Sweden) MEPs Living people Members of the Riksdag 2002–2006 Members of the Riksdag 2006–2010 Members of the Riksdag from the Liberals (Sweden) MEPs for Sweden 2009–2014 MEPs for Sweden 2014–2019 People from Övertorneå Municipality Prison chaplains Swedish women writers Tornedalians Uppsala University alumni Women Lutheran clergy Women members of the Riksdag Writers from Norrbotten