Markos Kyprianou pursued legal studies at the Law School of the University of Athens, followed by graduate studies at Trinity College, Cambridge (LLM in International and Tax Law) and Harvard Law School (LLM in Business Law and Taxation). Early in his career, Kyprianou worked as a trainee at the Human Rights Commission of the Council of Europe and conducted research in international law at the University of Cambridge.
Kyprianou’s political journey began as a Municipal Councillor for Nicosia (1986–1991). He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1991 under the banner of the Democratic Party (DIKO) and served until 2003. During this period, he chaired the House Committee on Financial and Budgetary Affairs (1999–2003). He has also served as Deputy Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
In 2003, he was appointed Minister of Finance. Following Cyprus’s accession to the European Union in May 2004, Kyprianou became the country’s first European Commissioner, initially following Budgetary Affairs. In November 2004, he was reappointed as European Commissioner in charge of Health and Consumer Protection.
Returning to national politics, Kyprianou served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from March 2008 until August 2011. In February 2014, he was elected Deputy President of the Democratic Party, a position he held until July 2018.
Kyprianou has resumed his legal practice. He is also a guest lecturer at the University of Nicosia on International Relations and European Studies
He is a member of the Cyprus Red Cross Society and the American Bar Association. Additionally, he is a Senior Advisor at the Earth Institute’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and a member of the UN SDSN Leadership Council.