PROFESSIONAL HISTORY: Maria Spyraki has worked for 22 years as a journalist in the private sector and she is a member of the Union of Editors of Macedonia and Thrace (ΕΣΗΕΜΘ). Since 1992 she worked at the newspapers «Ependitis», «Exousia», «Thessaloniki», «Aggelioforos», «Imerisia tou Savvatou» and at the TV Stations SKAI, STAR, ALTER, and MEGA, from where she resigned on April 4th of 2014 when the former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras asked her to run for office with Nea Dimokratia at the upcoming European Elections of the 25th of May. As a journalist she has participated in missions to Southeast Europe (Skopje, Cyprus, Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro). Since 1998 and until March 2014 she worked as a political reporter. She has also worked in the Press Office of the European Parliament in Athens during the period of 2003-2004, as well as the office of Greek Commissioner to the EU, Mr. Stavros Dimas, for the period 2004-2009. At the European Elections of 2014 she was elected first Member of the European Parliament with Nea Demokratia and she joined the European People’s Party. She is a member of the Committees on Regional Development (REGI) and on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), as well as a member of the EU-FYROM Joint Parliamentary Committee. She is also a member of the Nea Demokratia Executive Board after Kyriakos Mitsotakis was elected in the presidency of the party. EDUCATION: She attended the 2nd Public Elementary School of Litochoro Pierias. She graduated from the High School of Pyrgetos in Larisa. She studied Chemistry at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, from where she graduated in 1989. She has attended journalism seminars at the London School of Journalism. From 2009 until 2011 she completed at the Centre of Vocational Training of the University of Athens the following courses: Crisis Management The Financial Crisis of 2010 After her election at the European Parliament she has attended the following summer courses at the College of Europe in Bruges: Intensive Seminar on EU Affairs – July 2014 Negotiations in Practice – Towards effective negotiations with and within the EU – June 2015 Energy Union Summer School – June-July 2016 She is enrolled at the Master’s programme of the Athens University of Economics and Business in European Studies. She speaks English and French. PERSONAL: Maria Spyraki was born in Larisa in 1965. She is married to Stratos Stylianides, adjunct professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and she has two children.