Christos Stylianides, a centre-right MEP, is officially Cyprus’s candidate for the next European Commission. Stylianides’s candidacy had been known about for some time, but there was no official announcement from the Cypriot government.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president-elect of the European Commission, yesterday (4 September) spoke with Stylianides about his role in the next Commission. Juncker has been holding interviews with nominees this week.

Stylianides, a dental surgeon by training, has a background in international and European affairs. He has post-doctoral degrees in political science, international relations and European studies. In 1998-99 he was a spokesperson of the centre-right Cypriot government led by Glafkos Klerides, and he took part in the negotiations that led to Cyprus joining the EU.

He was a member of the national parliament in 2006-13, during which time he served as deputy chairman of the committee on foreign and European affairs. Since 2006 he has been a member of the executive office of the Democratic Rally (DISY) party.

Stylianides was appointed spokesman of the centre-right government led by Nikos Anastasiadis that took office in 2013. But he stepped down in April this year to contest the European Parliament elections. He is one of two DISY MEPs. Anastasiadis said at the time that he was sorry to lose Stylianides to European politics but understood “his wish to continue his political career in Europe that is his natural arena and his firm orientation over the years”.

The government had put forward two names for commissioner, which were not disclosed. Anastasiadis said in a statement that “he [Juncker] will decide himself which of the two to call for an interview so that is he assigned, in my opinion, one of the important portfolios”.

Cyprus’s current commissioner is Androulla Vassiliou, who held the health portfolio and then was assigned the education, culture, multilingualism and youth portfolio.

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