Cyprus MP and women’s healthcare activist Stella Kyriakides has got the nod as EU Commissioner for Health, making her part of a strong female presence in the new-look executive.
Kyriakides, one of 13 women commissioners from 27, replaces outgoing Christos Stylianides as Cyprus’ commissioner in Brussels.
The first woman President-elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced the portfolios from a list of commissioners recommended from member states.
German von der Leyen’s “college” of commissioners will take office on November 1, assuming they secure approval from the European Parliament – not a given after it only narrowly backed her in July.
Under EU rules, the commission should have 28 members, including the president, one representing each EU member country.
However, no British commissioner was on her list due to “the assumption that Brexit will happen on the 31st of October,” European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said.
Kyriakides, a clinical child psychologist, has been a DISY deputy since 2006 and deputy chairperson since 2013.
She was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe following the resignation of Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) on October 6, 2017 and remained in office until January 2018.
She was the 30th President of PACE since 1949, the first Cypriot, and the third woman to take up the post.
Among the other 12 female nominations is Denmark's Margrethe Vestager, who was previously commissioner for competition.
She was nominated by von der Leyen to retain her role on Tuesday, as well as to become one of her executive vice-presidents. She had been the European liberals' contender for von der Leyen's post.
The list also includes Czech Republic's Vera Jourova nominated commissioner for values and transparency, tasked with overseeing the rule of law.
Bulgaria's Mariya Gabriel, another woman on the list, has been nominated for the innovation and youth portfolio.
Other current commissioners on the list include former Austrian science minister Johannes Hahn who will take on responsibility for budget and administration; Belgium's foreign minister and vice premier, Didier Reynders, given the justice portfolio and former Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, nominated as commissioner for economy.
New proposals include former Estonian Economics Minister Kadri Simson, nominated for the energy portfolio, ex-Finnish Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen, nominated for international partnerships, and veteran Slovenian diplomat Janez Lenarcic, who will take on the crisis management portfolio.
Frans Timmermans of the Netherlands, who was also a contender for the commission presidency before von der Leyen became the consensus pick, was nominated to take on the European Green Deal portfolio.
