Stella Kyriakidou
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Stella Kyriakides ( el, Στέλλα Κυριακίδου, ; born 10 March 1956) is a Cypriot psychologist and politician of the conservative Democratic Rally party who has been serving as
European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety The Commissioner for Health and Food Safety is the member of the European Commission. The current post of Commissioner is held by Stella Kyriakidou ( el, Στέλλα Κυριακίδου) from Cyprus, a psychologist and politician of the conse ...
since 2019. She was the first Cypriot national and third woman to serve as President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
.


Early life and education

Born in
Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
, Kyriakides got a degree in psychology from the University of Reading and a master's degree in child maladjustmentSarah Wheaton (September 10, 2019)
Stella Kyriakides’ nomination puts patient advocate in top EU health post
'' Politico Europe''
at the Victoria University of Manchester.


Early career

Kyriakides worked in the
Ministry of Health Ministry of Health may refer to: Note: Italics indicate now-defunct ministries. * Ministry of Health (Argentina) * Ministry of Health (Armenia) * Australia: ** Ministry of Health (New South Wales) * Ministry of Health (The Bahamas) * Ministry of ...
between 1976 and 2006, as a clinical psychologist in the department of Child and Adolescent psychiatry. In 1999 Kyriakides was elected as president of the First Breast Cancer Movement in Cyprus. From 2004 until 2006, she served as president of the European Breast Cancer Coalition Europa Donna. In 2016, she was appointed President of the National Committee on Cancer Strategy of the Council.


Personal life

Kyriakides has two children. She had breast cancer in 1996 and 2004.


Political career


Politics of Cyprus

Standing for the conservative Democratic Rally, Kyriakides was elected as a deputy in the
2006 Cypriot legislative election Parliamentary elections were held in Cyprus on 21 May 2006. AKEL and the Democratic Rally both won 18 of the 56 seats. Voter turnout was 89.0%.Nohlen & Stöver, p443 Results Notes References {{Cypriot elections 2006 in Cyprus 2000s in C ...
, representing
Nicosia District Nicosia District (Greek: Eπαρχία Λευκωσίας) is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island country's capital city, Nicosia. The TRNC-controlled northern part of the district is the Lefkoşa District of the ...
, Since 2013, Kyriakides has served as a vice president of the Democratic Rally party, under the leadership of its president Nicos Anastasiades.Meet the commissioners
'' Politico Europe'', September 9, 2019
In 2018, Kyriakides pushed for a law decriminalizing abortion in Cyprus.


Council of Europe

In addition to her parliamentary duties in Cyprus, from 2012 until 2019 Kyriakides served as the chairperson of the Cyprus delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
(PACE). From 2016 until 2018, she chaired the PACE Committee on Social Affairs, Health, and Regional Development. In October 2017, after the resignation of the Spanish member
Pedro Agramunt Pedro Agramunt Font de Mora (born 12 September 1951) is a Spanish and European politician. Agramunt is from Valencia and has served as a member of the Senate of Spain since 2008. He had previously represented Valencia Province in the Spanish Cong ...
, she ran for the presidency of the
PACE Pace or paces may refer to: Business *Pace (transit), a bus operator in the suburbs of Chicago, US * Pace Airlines, an American charter airline *Pace Foods, a maker of a popular brand of salsa sold in North America, owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...
, winning the voting in the third round against the Lithuanian
Emanuelis Zingeris Emanuelis Zingeris (born 16 July 1957 in Kaunas, Lithuania) is a Lithuanian philologist, museum director, politician, signatory of the 1990 Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, currently serving as a Member of the Seimas (199 ...
. From 2018 until 2019, she served as the PACE representative to the Venice Commission.


European Commissioner

Following the 2019 European elections, President Nicos Anastasiades nominated Kyriakides to become the country's next
European Commissioner A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the President of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent ...
. In early March 2020, Kyriakides was appointed by President Ursula von der Leyen to serve on a special task force to coordinate the European Union's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.


Vaccination procurement during COVID-19 pandemic

Kyriakides came under attack by the international media and the publicas her procurement of COVID-19 vaccines was said to be slow and insufficient, especially in comparison to the United States and the United Kingdom. AstraZeneca's CEO, Soriot, blamed the EU for being three months slower than the U.K. in finalizing its purchase agreements for the vaccine, which AstraZeneca had developed. According to the German tabloid newspaper '' Bild-Zeitung'', Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn had warned Chancellor Angela Merkel about Kyriakides’ slow response time. However, Kyriakides rejected all criticism and defended the EU joint procurement strategy, claiming that it had "medical and social virtues". She also rejected the logic of "first come, first served,", arguing "that may work at the neighborhood butcher’s but not in contracts." AstraZeneca hit back, stating that the contract only included 'best efforts' to supply the EU commission, whereas the UK contract included provisions to supply the entirety of the UK from the company’s British plants first, before allowing export overseas.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyriakidou, Stella 1956 births Living people Alumni of the University of Manchester Alumni of the University of Reading Cypriot European Commissioners 21st-century Cypriot women politicians 21st-century Cypriot politicians Democratic Rally politicians Members of the House of Representatives (Cyprus) Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe People from Nicosia Women European Commissioners Women psychologists European Commissioners 2019–2024