Androulla Vassiliou

Androulla Vassiliou ( Ανδρούλλα Βασιλείου; born November 30, 1943) is a Greek-Cypriot politician (ED ); it was from 2008, EU Commissioner for Health and since February 2010 EU Commissioner for Education, Culture and Youth, as well as for multilingualism. It is with George Vassiliou, former President of Cyprus, married and has three children with him.

Career as a lawyer

From 1961 to 1964 Vassiliou studied law at the Middle Temple Inn of Court in London and was subsequently a degree in International Relations at the prestigious London Institute of World Affairs follow. After returning to Cyprus, she served since 1968 as a legal advisor Standard Chartered Bank and the Bank of Cyprus. She completed her legal career, when her husband George Vassiliou was President of Cyprus.

Political career

1996 Androulla Vassiliou began her own political career in the liberal party founded by her husband Enomeni Dimokrates (ED ) and was elected to the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, 2001, she was re-elected. During her tenure she drew more and more by their European policy expertise from, consequently, she was among the representatives of Cyprus in the European Convention, the advisory committee for preparation of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

From 2001 to 2006 she was Vice -President of the European Liberal Democrats and President of the European Liberal Women's Network, the women's organization of that party.

After the loss of their parliamentary seat in the parliamentary elections in Cyprus in 2006 was Vassiliou as successor of her retired countryman Markos Kyprianou, EU Commissioner for Health in February 2008. She took over his agendas on March 3 and was confirmed on 9 April 2008 by the European Parliament with 446 votes to 7 with 29 abstentions. In 2010 she was in the Barroso II Commission Commissioner for Education, Culture and Youth and Multilingualism.

For several years she has been working in the United Nations Association of Cyprus, which they board several terms as President. During this time she participated in numerous human rights conferences. In 1991 she was elected president of the World Federation of United Nations Associations, confirmed twice in office and then elected honorary president.

Since 1996 she has been Chairman of the Cyprus Association of Women in Business and Economics.

Linguistic proficiency

Androulla Vassiliou speaks Greek, English and French.