Bulgaria Ex-PM: Jeleva Received Assistant EU Commissioner Portfolio

Former Prime Minister, Sergey Stanishev, believes the portfolio assigned to new Bulgarian EU Commissioner, Rumiana Jeleva is a second-rate one and clrealry shows the attitude of the EU towards Bulgaria. Photo by BGNES

The leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and former Prime Minister, Sergey Stanishev, says the portfolio assigned to the new Bulgarian EU Commissioner, Rumiana Jeleva, is a sad fact.

Stanishev sees Jeleva's portfolio of International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response as the one of some Assistant Commissioner and compares her sector with Bulgaria's now dismantled and controversial Ministry of Disasters and Emergency Situations.

“In 2007 when Bulgaria nominated its very first EU Commissioner, despite the fact the portfolios were already assigned, and they had the difficult task of making new ones, Bulgaria still received the responsibility of an important EU policy – Consumer Protection. The Bulgarian nomination at the time, unlike the Romanian one, was not sent back. Meglena Kuneva, our first Commissioner enjoyed the utmost trust of the EC. In comparison, now, the Romanian nominee got the Agriculture and Rural Development portfolio , which is almost half of the EU budget,” Stanishev is quoted as saying.

According to the BSP leader, countries that joined not so long ago were assigned portfolios in which there are real politics precisely because of the prestige of their nominees, the effective dialogue and collaboration with the EC.

“The Bulgarian cabinet had so much talk on the subject – they wanted regional policy, then energy, the latest was media and communications because some other EU Prime Minister promised it to ours. And we ended up with a portfolio that clearly demonstrates the EU attitude and this is a sad fact,” Stanishev stated, adding Jeleva's assignment meant humanitarian aid in times of an eventual crisis situation somewhere in Africa.

The Bulgarian Members of the Parliament from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) also declared Friday they were disappointed with the responsibilities assigned to Bulgaria's new EU Commissioner, Rumiana Jeleva.

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