[4] In May 2021, he was appointed as the European Commission's Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU a position he served until he became Minister for Climate Crisis Management and Civil Protection of Greece (September 2021).

[6] He later received executive education in International Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

[13] He later impressed many lawmakers at his parliamentary hearing as nominee for the post of European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management in the Juncker Commission.

[14] Since July 2020, Stylianides has been serving as a special advisor on education in emergencies, migration and inclusion to Vice-President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas.

[15] In May 2021, he was appointed as the European Commission's Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU.

[17] Although Stylianides is widely regarded a liberal by inclination, his political career has always been with the centre-right Democratic Rally party, DISY, on the grounds that it takes a more conciliatory approach to reuniting Cyprus.

He supported the controversial United Nations-brokered blueprint for Cyprus known as the Annan plan, which called for an end to the island's division and for reunification of its two feuding communities in a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation – in a referendum in 2004, the plan was accepted by a majority of Turkish Cypriots but overwhelmingly rejected by Stylianides's fellow Greeks Cypriots.

Leading member of grassroots youth movements in support of EU membership and the solution of the Cyprus problem since the early 1980s.