Bulgarian Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva will be given the portfolio "Start-ups, Research and Innovation" in the next European Commission. This was announced today in the European Parliament by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Later, in a brief statement to the media, Ekaterina Zaharieva described her portfolio as "the portfolio of the future" and then refused to answer journalists' questions, BNR's Brussels correspondent Angelina Piskova reported from Brussels.
According to European People's Party (EPP) MEP Andrey Kovachev, the portfolio is "very good and important for the European economy and competitiveness with other parts of the world".
"We were very late in the process and it is normal to get such a portfolio. We consume European politics, we have been part of it for a long time and in this case we get what is left at the end," Ilhan Kyuchyuk, MEP from Renew Europe, told BNR.
Reactions in Bulgaria were also mixed.
According to GERB leader Boyko Borissov (Zaharieva is a GERB candidate), this portfolio has some of the strongest and best-funded programmes. He recalled that during the election campaign, there was a lot of talk about "Europe's competitiveness against America, China". "It is our Commissioner who is given this portfolio. Many, many thanks," Borissov said.
Tsoncho Ganev, deputy leader of Vazrazhdane, said: "This portfolio reflects the EU's attitude towards Bulgaria.
"We in the Bulgarian Socialist Party think that Bulgaria has not been given a strong portfolio in the new European Commission," said Borislav Gutsanov, leader of the BSP parliamentary group. "We see that Ursula von der Leyen has given quite good chances to Romania, where they will have a second person in the Commission as vice-president," he noted.
North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said his government will not unconditionally recognise Bulgarians in the country’s constitution. “Nobody has the right to expect this government to make constitutional changes unconditionally,” he told..
‘The Bulgarian Rectors’ Council has proposed the creation of Danube University Alliances,’ said Professor Miglena Temelkova, the Council's chair, at the ‘Days of Bulgaria in Kecskemét, Hungary’ forum. The idea is for the alliances to include..
‘This is not the time for early elections,’ said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov at a GERB party conference. According to BTA, he was opposed to holding elections during the country’s planned adoption of the euro in 2026. GERB chairman Boyko..
Bulgaria, Greece and Romania have finalized a memorandum for joint cooperation on new transport projects, said European Commissioner for..
Suspicions of large-scale fraud with EU funds in a project to build a mussel farm in the Black Sea – southeast of Cape Emine in the..
In 2024, the gross domestic product of Bulgaria increased in real terms by 3.4% compared to the previous year, according to data by the..
Mostly Cloudy
Partly cloudy, chance of rain