Androulla vassiliou biography channel

Vassiliou studied law and international affairs in London and practiced law in Cyprus for 20 years In her present post, Ms. Vassiliou has been very active in the fields of literacy launching the "Europe Loves Reading" campaign in September and information and communication technology in education. You can change your preferences and opt-out by visiting our Privacy Policy.

So I did, at the age of 24, and, after giving birth to my first daughter, I gradually built up my clientele. How difficult was this change? Yes, I left my practice. However, in addition to the normal duties of a First Lady , I decided to help in areas where I thought I could help the society at large. We organised concerts, master classes and musical education evenings in order to promote musical culture in Cyprus.

We brought teachers from abroad to teach instruments that did not exist in Cyprus, at the time, and that would complete our symphony orchestra, like the oboe, the cello and other musical instruments. It is a great reward for me to see so many young people playing these instruments today. I also took the initiative to construct a nice amphitheatre on the grounds of the Presidential Palace , where many musical and theatrical events are still taking place up to today.

One of the most rewarding experiences was to accompany the Cyprus team to the Special Olympics ; both the international and the European event. Did your husband consult with you during his presidency, especially on serious matters? My husband and I always talked about many things.

Androulla vassiliou biography channel

He always advised me and, likewise, I also expressed my views on matters that he had to deal with. This relationship always existed. What were your impressions of life in parliament? Parliament life was a new experience for me. I decided to follow two important rules: To be well-prepared for all topics that came before us and, secondly, to be punctual with my responsibilities in the different committees.

I believe that I was respected for this. During the time of our accession negotiations for the EU, I was a member of the European Affairs Committee and we had to work very hard and methodically. We had to review some 80, laws and make sure that they were compatible with the European law, including the adoption of many new laws. It was a great experience.

I participated, also, in the Joint Parliamentary Committee of the EU and Cyprus and this was a great introduction for me to the EU, to which we later became members. I also promoted, or joined other parliamentarians in promoting, legislation very important for Cyprus. I will give you a few examples: Until the s, if a Cypriot man was married to a foreign woman, their children automatically became Cyprus nationals, BUT if a Cypriot woman was married to a foreigner, their children did not automatically obtain Cypriot nationality and had to apply for it and it was up to the authorities to grant it or not.

I promoted an amendment to this law and women eventually obtained the same rights for their children as men had. I was also involved in the promotion of the law against violence in the family and the law regarding the rights of children was originally my own initiative. As well, I participated actively in the adoption of the law regarding the Rights of Patients and many other laws.

Neelie Kroes 2 — Antonio Tajani 2 —14 Ferdinando Nelli Feroci Olli Rehn 2 —14 Jyrki Katainen 2 Andris Piebalgs — Michel Barnier 2 — Androulla Vassiliou — Karel De Gucht — John Dalli Tonio Borg — Janusz Lewandowski —14 Jacek Dominik Maria Damanaki — Kristalina Georgieva — Johannes Hahn — Connie Hedegaard — Neven Mimica — European commissioners from Cyprus.

Authority control databases. Germany Poland. Categories : Living people 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.

Hidden categories: All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from October Articles with permanently dead external links CS1 Greek-language sources el Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Use dmy dates from October Articles containing Greek-language text Webarchive template wayback links.

Toggle the table of contents. Since 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 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 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.