EUROPEAN COMMISSION president José Manuel Barroso has backed the nomination to his incoming executive of Bulgaria’s foreign minister, Rumiana Jeleva, stating in a letter to the European Parliament that she has “the necessary levels of general competence” to fulfil her mandate in the humanitarian aid portfolio.
In separate but related correspondence, Ms Jeleva said in a one-sentence letter to Mr Barroso that a declaration of interests she made after her nomination to the commission was “fully accurate and complete”.
Support from Mr Barroso came as Boiko Borisov, Bulgaria’s prime minister, declared he would not be withdrawing her nomination.
Ms Jeleva’s troubles, which have dominated the confirmation hearings in the European Parliament for Mr Barroso’s second commission, threaten to scupper his hopes of having his selection ratified without any changes.
Further potential trouble surfaced yesterday when it emerged that incoming digital agenda commissioner Neelie Kroes has been called to meet the political co-ordinators of the industry committee next week because MEPs were unhappy with her performance.
Ms Jeleva struggled at a fractious confirmation hearing last Tuesday to fend off claims that she was less than frank about her links to a consulting company she claimed to have sold, thereby relieving her of any obligation to declare her interest in the business to the commission.
Certain MEPs claimed in the hearing that official records in Bulgaria suggested otherwise.
Mr Barroso’s letter to European Parliament president Jerzy Buzek suggests he believes Ms Jeleva.
With the Socialist camp calling for her removal from the incoming commission on grounds of incompetence and Liberal and Green MEPs deeply unimpressed by her vague answers to questions on Tuesday, Mr Buzek raised the matter in a letter to Mr Barroso.
In his response, Mr Barroso said Ms Jeleva’s nomination was made “by common accord with me”.
He said she had been twice elected to the European Parliament by the Bulgarian people and “has the necessary general competence, international experience and shows the necessary levels of European commitment” to fulfil her duties.
On her financial declarations, Mr Barroso cited Ms Jeleva’s letter to him. “Ms Jeleva has publicly produced official documents to demonstrate that when she drew up the declaration of interest as commissioner designate, she no longer had any shares in the company that used to belong to her,” he said.
Dublin Fine Gael MEP Gay Mitchell, who defended Ms Jeleva on Tuesday, said: “In fairness to her, if she clears the hurdle of the finances, she will have dealt with the issue that most members failed her on.”
