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 who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

from 2009 until 2019. She is a member of the

Liberal Party of Sweden The Liberal Party of Sweden () 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 prohibition. In 1934 the two p ...

, part of the

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; , ADLE) was a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and the European Democratic Party. ALDE had political ...

. 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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...

and the

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

of several books. She was married to former Swedish Minister for Education

Jan-Erik Wikström Jan-Erik Wikström (11 September 1932 – 1 July 2024) was a Swedish publisher and politician, who served as Minister for Education between 1976 and 1982. His father, Börje Wikström, was a pastor in the Swedish Evangelical Mission (EFS) and ...

from 1995 to 2010, and before that to the Swedish priest Björn Bolin. Wikström got her

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a two- to five-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically (but not exclusively) pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, de ...

at the Department of Theology at

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () 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 operation. Initially fou ...

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

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

Uppsala Cathedral Uppsala Cathedral () is a cathedral located between the University Hall (Uppsala University), 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 t ...

Political career

Member of the Swedish Parliament, 2002–2009

Between 2002 and 2009, Wikström was a member of the

Swedish Parliament The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportionally and serving, since 1994, f ...

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 rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

, 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 A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

(LIBE) and the

Committee on Legal Affairs The Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) is a committee of the European Parliament. Responsibilities The main responsibilities of the committee are the interpretation and application of international and European law and the compliance of European U ...

(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 territorial dispute, disputed territory in Maghreb, North-western Africa. It has a surface area of . Approximately 30% of the territory () is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is ...

and the

European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights The European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights is an intergroup of the European Parliament's legislators which focuses on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons both inside and outside the European Uni ...

. 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 The European Ombudsman is an inter-institutional body of the European Union that holds the institutions, bodies and agencies of the EU to account, and promotes good administration. The Ombudsman helps people, businesses and organisations facing ...

. 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 The Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (CUNPA) is a global network of more than 300 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and 1,500 current and former parliamentarians from around 150 countries devoted to establishing a United ...

, 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 Tornedalians (; ; ) are an ethnic minority native to the Torne Valley (Meänmaa) region in northern Sweden and Finland. Tornedalians were officially recognized as a national minority in Sweden in 2000. Tornedalians divide themselves into three di ...

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 People of Tornedalian descent Uppsala University alumni Women Lutheran clergy Women members of the Riksdag Writers from Norrbotten County