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Spyros Kouvelis (born in 1964 in Athens, Greece) is a politician of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement and the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece.

Early life

Spyros Kouvelis was born in 1964 in Athens, Greece. His origin is from Aitoloakarnania and Crete.

Early career

Spyros Kouvelis has a major in Economics from the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and a Masters of Science in Agricultural and Environmental Economics from the University of Reading, in Reading, Berkshire, U.K.. He is fluent in English and French.

He started his career in 1991, working for the World Wildlife Fund for Nature as a Conservation Director. From 1995 until 1997 he served as a member of the Management Team directing the organization. Spyros Kouvelis is a member of the Agriculture and European policy teams of World Wildlife Fund International, and a chair of the WWF Mediterranean Team. He has also worked from Athens as a consultant to the WWF European Policy Office.

Since 2001, he held the position of MedWet Coordinator, directing the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative Unit in Athens, a Ramsar outposted unit for the entire Mediterranean region. He was president of the International Film and Visual Arts Festival of Rhodes – Ecofilms from 2007 until 2007.

Since May 2007 he joined the Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme, as Officer in charge of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development and the implementation of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development.

Politics

Spyros Kouvelis started his Political Career in 1997, when he was appointed as an Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Environment, Planning and Public Works of Greece, a post that he held until 2001.

He was elected as a member of the Hellenic Parliament with the Panhellenic Socialist Movement in the National Elections of September 2007. He was re-elected in the National Elections of 2009 and in October 2009, he was appointed his first position as a Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. On the government reshuffle that took place in 17 June 2011, Kouvelis asked from George Papandreou, to release him from his duties in order to deal exclusively on the energy section of incoming investments.

Spyros Kouvelis is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary teams of Greek-French, Greek-Indian and Greek-Azerbaitzan friendships.

Personal life

Spyros Kouvelis is known for his simplicity and love for nature.

References

Biography of Spyros Kouvelis (Greek)

Ancient Greece

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