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Androulla Vassiliou
Ανδρούλλα Βασιλείου
Vassiliou in 2013
European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth
In office 9 February 2010 – 1 November 2014
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Maroš Šefčovič (Education, Training, Culture and Youth) Leonard Orban (Multilingualism)
Succeeded by	Tibor Navracsics (Education, Culture, Youth and Sport)
European Commissioner for Health
In office 3 March 2008 – 9 February 2010
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Markos Kyprianou
Succeeded by	John Dalli (Health and Consumer Policy)
First Lady of Cyprus
In office 28 February 1988 – 28 February 1993
President	George Vassiliou
Preceded by	Mimi Kyprianou
Succeeded by	Lila Irene Clerides
Personal details
Born	(1943-11-30) 30 November 1943 (age 81) Paphos, British Cyprus
Political party	United Democrats
Spouse	George Vasiliou
Alma mater	University of Law

Androulla Vassiliou (Greek: Ανδρούλλα Βασιλείου; born 30 November 1943) is a Cypriot and European politician. Between March 2008 and February 2010, she was the European Commissioner for Health, and then, until November 2014, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. Vassiliou is very active in social and cultural fields particularly within the UN and EU. 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.

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.

She is married to George Vassiliou, former President of Cyprus, with whom she has three children. 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

1. "Council decision appointing a new member of the Commission" (PDF). European Union (EU). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 January 2021.
2. "EU parliament approves new health chief". The Parliament Magazine.
3. "Nomination of Mrs Androula Vassiliou as successor to Mr Markos Kyprianou". European Commission. 28 February 2008. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022.
4. "Androulla Vassiliou: European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth". Film New Europe Association. Archived from the original on 14 June 2014.
5. "Former EU Commissioner chided for victim shaming". financialmirror.com. 17 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022.
6. "Ex EU commissioner criticised over comments on rape case". greekcitytimes.com. 18 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022.
7. "Rape remark lands former commissioner in hot seat". knews.kathimerini.com.cy. 17 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022.
8. "Former EU Commissioner accused victims of blame". worldakkam.com. 17 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022.
9. "The internalized misogyny of Androulla Vassiliou". LiFO (in Greek). 17 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022.
10. "What the 24-year-old woman was doing in the hotel suite in Thessaloniki?". ladylike.gr (in Greek). 17 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022.

External links

• Androulla Vassiliou Official Media Gallery Archived 9 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
• Androulla Vassiliou Website Archived on 3 November 2014.

v t e Barroso Commission II (2009–2014)
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy	Catherine Ashton (2010–14)
Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship	Viviane Reding (2010–2014) Martine Reicherts (2014)
Competition	Joaquín Almunia (2010–14)
Transport	Siim Kallas (2010–14)
Digital Agenda	Neelie Kroes (2010–14)
Industry and Entrepreneurship	Antonio Tajani (2010–14) Ferdinando Nelli Feroci (2014)
Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration	Maroš Šefčovič (2010–14)
Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro	Olli Rehn (2010–14) Jyrki Katainen (2014)
Environment	Janez Potočnik (2010–14)
Development	Andris Piebalgs (2010–14)
Internal Market and Services	Michel Barnier (2010–14)
Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth	Androulla Vassiliou (2010–14)
Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud	Algirdas Šemeta (2010–14)
Trade	Karel De Gucht (2010–14)
Health	John Dalli (2010-12) Tonio Borg (2012–14)
Research, Innovation and Science	Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (2010–14)
Financial Programming and the Budget	Janusz Lewandowski (2010–14) Jacek Dominik (2014)
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries	Maria Damanaki (2010–14)
International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis	Kristalina Georgieva (2010–14)
Energy	Günther Oettinger (2010–14)
Regional Policy	Johannes Hahn (2010–14)
Climate Action	Connie Hedegaard (2010–14)
Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy	Štefan Füle (2010–14)
Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion	László Andor (2010–14)
Home Affairs	Cecilia Malmström (2010–14)
Agriculture and Rural Development	Dacian Cioloș (2010–14)
Consumer Policy	Neven Mimica (2013–14)
1 = First Vice President. 2 = Vice President.

v t e European Commissioners from Cyprus
Markos Kyprianou Androulla Vassiliou Christos Stylianides Stella Kyriakidou

• Living people
• 1943 births
• Cypriot European commissioners
• Members of the House of Representatives (Cyprus)
• First ladies of Cyprus
• Cypriot women lawyers
• 20th-century Cypriot women politicians
• 20th-century Cypriot politicians
• Democratic Party (Cyprus) politicians
• Greek Cypriots
• Women European commissioners
• 21st-century Cypriot women politicians
• 21st-century Cypriot politicians
• 20th-century Cypriot lawyers
• 20th-century women lawyers
• 20th-century presidents in Europe