Stella Kyriakides

Born in Nicosia, Kyriakides got a degree in psychology from the University of Reading and a master's degree in child maladjustmentSarah Wheaton (10 September 2019), [https://www.politico.eu/article/stella-kyriakides-nomination-puts-patient-advocate-in-top-eu-health-post/ Stella Kyriakides’ nomination puts patient advocate in top EU health post] Politico Europe at the Victoria University of Manchester.

Kyriakides worked in the Ministry of Health between 1976 and 2006, as a clinical psychologist in the department of Child and Adolescent psychiatry.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mystella.org/betaiotaomicrongammarhoalphaphiiotakappaomicron.html|title=Στέλλα Κυριακίδου Βιογραφικό Σημείωμα|access-date=2018-10-09|archive-date=2019-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513064241/http://www.mystella.org/betaiotaomicrongammarhoalphaphiiotakappaomicron.html|url-status=dead}}

In 1999 Kyriakides was elected as president of the First Breast Cancer Movement in Cyprus.{{Cite web|url=http://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/News/News-View-en.asp?newsid=6815&lang=2|title=Stella Kyriakides elected PACE President}}[http://website-pace.net/en_GB/web/apce/stella-kyriakides Former President] 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. Stella Kyriakides was also recognized as one of the 100 Influential Women in Oncology by OncoDaily.{{Cite web |title=100 Influential Women in Oncology: Key Opinion Leaders to follow on Social Media in 2023 |url=https://oncodaily.com/positive/9118.html |website=OncoDaily}}

Standing for the conservative Democratic Rally, Kyriakides was elected as a deputy in the 2006 Cypriot legislative election, representing Nicosia District,{{Cite web|url=http://www.parliament.cy/el/404|title=House of Representatives – 404 Page – Not Found|first=DW Dynamic Works|last=Ltd|website=www.parliament.cy}} Since 2013, Kyriakides has served as a vice president of the Democratic Rally party, under the leadership of its president Nicos Anastasiades.{{Cite web|url=https://www.disy.org.cy/404-error|title=404 ERROR|first=Webarts|last=Support|website=Δημοκρατικός Συναγερμός}}[https://www.politico.eu/article/meet-the-commissioners-president-ursula-von-der-leyen-team-european-commission-members/ Meet the commissioners] Politico Europe, 9 September 2019

In 2018, Kyriakides pushed for a law decriminalizing abortion in Cyprus.

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 (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, she ran for the presidency of the PACE, winning the voting in the third round against the Lithuanian Emanuelis Zingeris.{{Cite web|url=https://thegreekobserver.com/blog/2017/10/11/stella-kyriakides-cyprus-elected-new-president-pace/|title=Stella Kyriakides from Cyprus elected new President of PACE|date=11 October 2017|access-date=25 January 2021|archive-date=23 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323155942/https://thegreekobserver.com/blog/2017/10/11/stella-kyriakides-cyprus-elected-new-president-pace/|url-status=dead}} From 2018 until 2019, she served as the PACE representative to the Venice Commission.

Following the 2019 European elections, President Nicos Anastasiades nominated Kyriakides to become the country's next European Commissioner.Lily Bayer (26 July 2019), [https://www.politico.eu/article/cyprus-nominates-stella-kyriakides-for-commissioner-post/ Cyprus nominates Stella Kyriakides for commissioner post] Politico Europe

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.Laura Kayali, Paola Tamma and Hans von der Burchard (9 April 2020), [https://www.politico.eu/article/frances-freewheeling-thierry-breton-is-having-a-good-crisis-coronavirus/ France’s freewheeling Thierry Breton rises to the crisis] Politico Europe.

Kyriakides has also been chairing the European People's Party Health Ministers Meeting (alongside Peter Liese), which gathers the center-right EPP ministers ahead of meetings of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO).[https://www.epp.eu/structure/ministerial-meetings/ Council of the EU and Ministerial meetings] European People's Party (EPP).

Following the 2024 European elections, Kyriakides announced that she would not be available for another term and instead expressed her intention to return to Cyprus.Mari Eccles and Eddy Wax (11 July 2024), [https://www.politico.eu/article/commissioner-stella-kyriakides-eu-term-health-policy-ngo-public-christ-ferane-belgium-robert-abela/ Commissioner Kyriakides rules out second EU term] Politico Europe.

Kyriakides came under attack by the international media and the public as her procurement of COVID-19 vaccines was said to be slow and insufficient,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bild.de/video/clip/politik-ausland/stella-kyriakides-eu-gesundheitskommissarin-versagt-in-impfkrise-75219718.bild.html|title = Stella Kyriakides: EU-Gesundheitskommissarin versagt in Impfkrise|date = 5 February 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/01/31/world/eu-vaccine-blunders/|title = Faced with a vaccine emergency, the EU made an enemy of everyone|date = 31 January 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-slams-astrazeneca-but-fails-in-push-for-vaccine-stella-kyriakides-pascal-soriot/|title = EU slams AstraZeneca but fails in push for vaccine|date = 28 January 2021}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2021/01/26/news/interview_pascal_soriot_ceo_astrazeneca_coronavirus_covid_vaccines-284349628/|title = Pascal Soriot: "There are a lot of emotions on vaccines in EU. But it's complicated"|date = 26 January 2021}}

According to the German tabloid newspaper Bild-Zeitung, Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn had warned Chancellor Angela Merkel about Kyriakides’ slow response time.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bild.de/bild-plus/politik/inland/politik-inland/corona-krise-so-warnte-spahn-die-kanzlerin-vor-der-fuesse-hoch-kommissarin-75203838,view=conversionToLogin.bild.html|title = Corona-Impfstoff: Spahn warnte Merkel vor der Füße-hoch-Kommissarin der EU|date = 4 February 2021}} However, Kyriakides rejected all criticism and defended the EU joint procurement strategy, claiming that it had "medical and social virtues".{{Cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/01/06/eu-s-health-chief-defends-covid-vaccine-rollout-after-criticism|title=EU's health chief defends COVID vaccine rollout after criticism|date=6 January 2021}} She also rejected the logic of "first come, first served,", arguing "that may work at the neighborhood butcher’s but not in contracts."{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/health-commissioner-astrazeneca-logic-might-work-at-butcher-but-not-in-contracts/|title = EU commissioner: AstraZeneca logic might work at the butcher's, but not in vaccine contracts|date = 27 January 2021}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-europe-astrazneca-idUSKBN29Y1ED|title = AstraZeneca contract includes UK as 'best effort' base for output to EU|newspaper = Reuters|date = 29 January 2021}}

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

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Category:1956 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of the University of Manchester

Category:Alumni of the University of Reading

Category:Cypriot European commissioners

Category:21st-century Cypriot women politicians

Category:21st-century Cypriot politicians

Category:Democratic Rally politicians

Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Cyprus)

Category:Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Category:Politicians from Nicosia

Category:Women European commissioners

Category:Women psychologists

Category:European commissioners (2019–2024)