Short biography

On 1 December 2019, Ms. Kyriakides became the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.
During the COVID-19 crisis, she has been leading the Commission’s work to coordinate the EU’s health response and support Member States to tackle the pandemic. She is responsible for the EU Vaccine Strategy in order to procure safe and effective vaccines for all EU Member States and Europe’s broader neighborhood. She is also responsible for the establishment of a strong European Health Union and supporting Member States to strengthen healthcare systems and deliver better patient outcomes for all EU citizens. On food safety, Commissioner Kyriakides is leading the new ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy for sustainable food, covering every step in the food chain from production to consumption. Her responsibilities also include ensuring enforcement of animal welfare laws and promoting European standards globally, as well as ensuring enforcement of EU laws on food safety and animal and plant health and leading the work to protect plant health, reduce dependency on pesticides and support low-risk and non-chemical alternatives. Previously Commissioner Kyriakides worked as a clinical psychologist in the Mental Health Services of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus in the area of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, from 1979-2006. In 2006 she was elected to the Cyprus Parliament and was re-elected in 2011 and 2016 for the Democratic Rally party, of which she was the Vice-President.