Health Commissioner for EU nominated

Following the resignation of Markos Kyprianou as a member of the European Commission in order to become Minister of Foreign Affairs in his native country, Cyprus, the President of the EC, Jose Manuel Barroso, has written to the Presidents of the Council and the European Parliament, advising of the resignation and his own agreement to the nomination by Cyprus of former "First Lady"Androula Vassiliou as a member of the Commission. Mrs Vassiliou will take over the Health portfolio that was previously held by Mr Kyprianou.

In the letter to the President of the Council, Mr Barroso has asked it to put in place as soon as possible the procedure foreseen by the Treaty for the replacement of Mr Kyprianou. European Union member state governments and the Parliament must approve the nomination.

Mrs Vassiliou, married to former President of Cyprus George Vassiliou, started her career as a lawyer. She was an elected Member of the House of Representatives of Cyprus for two terms (1996-2001 and 2001-2006). She served among others on the European Affairs Committee and on the Joint Parliamentary Committee of Cyprus and the EU. She was an Alternate Representative of the Cyprus Parliament to the Convention for the Future of Europe (2001-2003). She was also Vice President of the European Liberal Democrats and Reform Party (ELDR, 2001-2006) and as such chairperson of the European Liberal Women's Network.