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Androulla Vassiliou
Cypriot and European politician
Cypriot and European politician
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Androulla Vassiliou |
| image | Androulla Vassiliou at Göteborg Book Fair 2013 (crop).jpg |
| office | European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth |
| president | José Manuel Barroso |
| term_start | 9 February 2010 |
| term_end | 1 November 2014 |
| predecessor | Maroš Šefčovič (Education, Training, Culture and Youth) |
| Leonard Orban (Multilingualism) | |
| successor | Tibor Navracsics (Education, Culture, Youth and Sport) |
| office1 | European Commissioner for Health |
| president1 | José Manuel Barroso |
| term_start1 | 3 March 2008 |
| term_end1 | 9 February 2010 |
| predecessor1 | Markos Kyprianou |
| successor1 | John Dalli (Health and Consumer Policy) |
| office2 | First Lady of Cyprus |
| term_start2 | 28 February 1988 |
| term_end2 | 28 February 1993 |
| predecessor2 | Mimi Kyprianou |
| successor2 | Lila Irene Clerides |
| president2 | George Vassiliou |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Paphos, British Cyprus |
| party | United Democrats |
| spouse | |
| alma_mater | University of Law |
| caption | Vassiliou in 2013 |
| native_name_lang | el |
| native_name | Ανδρούλλα Βασιλείου |
| children | 3 |
Leonard Orban (Multilingualism)
Androulla Vassiliou (; born 30 November 1943) is a Cypriot politician who served as a European commissioner from 2008 to 2014. She is the widow of former president George Vassiliou.
During her period as member of the European Commission, she served as European Commissioner for Health until 2010, and then as European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. Vassiliou is very active in social and cultural fields particularly within the United Nations and European Union. In Cyprus she has held many important posts and is on the board of many public and private companies.
Legal career
Vassiliou was born in Paphos. Between 1961 and 1964, she studied law at Middle Temple (Inn of Court) in London, United Kingdom, and then between 1964 and 1966, she studied international affairs at the London Institute of World Affairs (United Kingdom). She then returned to Cyprus in 1968 to practice law while acting as legal advisor to the Standard Chartered Bank and then the Bank of Cyprus (also being on the board of various corporations). In 1988, she ended her legal practice when her husband, George Vassiliou, became President of Cyprus.
Political career
Vassiliou served as First Lady of Cyprus from 1988 to 1993 as the wife of then-president George Vassiliou.
Vassiliou was elected to the House of Representatives of Cyprus in 1996, for the Movement of United Democrats, and re-elected in 2001 until 2006. During this time she served on the European Affairs Committee and the Joint Parliamentary Committee of Cyprus and the EU She was also an Alternate Representative of the Cyprus to the European Convention which drew up the European Constitution.
Between 2001 and 2006, she was Vice President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, and the chairperson of the European Liberal Women's Network.
In February 2008, Vassiliou was nominated to succeed Markos Kyprianou as European Commissioner for Health. On 3 March 2008, she took over from him in the European Commission and faced a hearing before the European Parliament in early April 2008; she was approved on 9 April 2008 by 446 to 7 with 29 abstentions. Under the Second Barroso Commission, from February 2010, she was given the portfolio of Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.
Other activities and personal life
Since 2002, she has been chairperson of the board of trustees of the Cyprus Oncology Centre and she has also been President of the Cyprus Federation of Business and Professional Women since 1996.
She was involved in the United Nations Association of Cyprus, being elected as President of it for four consecutive terms, participated in numerous human rights conferences. In 1991 she was elected President of the World Federation of United Nations Associations and re-elected for two terms before being made an honorary president.
Her hobbies are music, walking, swimming and reading. She speaks Greek, English and French.
Androulla Vassiliou caused an outcry regarding a rape case, when her internet tweet was perceived as victim-blaming. She was chided for victim-shaming a 24-year-old woman who had been drugged at a hotel in Thessaloniki, Greece, on New Year's Eve. In a third tweet, Vassiliou apologised, saying she had been misunderstood.
References
References
- "Council decision appointing a new member of the Commission".
- (October 2016). "EU parliament approves new health chief".
- (28 February 2008). "Nomination of Mrs Androula Vassiliou as successor to Mr Markos Kyprianou".
- "Androulla Vassiliou: European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth".
- (17 January 2022). "Former EU Commissioner chided for victim shaming".
- (18 January 2022). "Ex EU commissioner criticised over comments on rape case".
- (17 January 2022). "Rape remark lands former commissioner in hot seat".
- (17 January 2022). "Former EU Commissioner accused victims of blame".
- (17 January 2022). "The internalized misogyny of Androulla Vassiliou".
- (17 January 2022). "What the 24-year-old woman was doing in the hotel suite in Thessaloniki?".
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