Anna Diamantopoulou

Anna Diamantopoulou's parliamentary career began in 1996 when she was elected to represent the district of Kozani. She was appointed as Deputy Minister for Development in charge of privatisation and industrial restructuring, a position she left in order to become a European Commissioner.[4]

On 4 October 2009 she was re-elected as a Member of Parliament and served as Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs in the cabinet of George Papandreou. In her capacity as education minister, Diamantopoulou cited diminishing tertiary-education enrolments as justification for the abolition of minimum academic requirements for undergraduate admission which had long been suggested by the academic community and recently introduced by the state to ensure higher standards. This measure helped save failing low-ranking institutions such as the TEI of Western Macedonia in her former constituency, as it enabled them to broaden recruitment by admitting students from the lowest percentiles of the nationwide examination rankings. In response to criticism that her policy was diluting academic standards for populist purposes, Diamantopoulou replied that 'in the past, failed applicants would go to private [tertiary] institutions and abroad' anyway.[6]

Diamantopoulou declares herself a firm believer in Greece's ability to join the frontrunning countries in the knowledge economy by 2020.

Diamantopoulou has been very active in European affairs both from her position at the European Commission and since her return to Greece. A champion of women's issues and author of a far reaching European directive to ensure equal access to goods and services for women and men, e.g. not pay more for health insurance because you are a woman who may have a child, and a staunch supporter of stronger, more competitive Europe, Anna Diamantopoulou continuously stresses the importance of balancing economic efficiency with social justice. She is among the most prominent political personalities of Europe.

In 2003 Anna Diamantopoulou and Pehr Gyllenhammar held a nomination ceremony of European awards which acknowledge the excellence in the fields of lifelong learning, diversity and gender equality.[7]