Bulgaria's Ex EU Commissioner Civic Project on Way to Politics

Ex Bulgarian EU Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, and ex Education Minister, Daniel Valchev (l), both appointed to the posts on the ticket of the party of former Tsar Simeon Saxe-Coburg, during the Saturday meeting in the city of Shumen. Photo by BTA

The civic movement, dubbed "Bulgaria for Citizens," established by former Bulgarian European Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, is on its way to turn into a political party.

On Saturday, during the first ever meeting in the country, after the establishment of the movement, Kuneva told about 100 citizens of the city of Shumen that "Bulgaria for Citizens" could turn into a political project.

She, however, pointed out that the movement had no preliminary plans to enter politics and this is not its own, single goal – they rather wanted to find out "the energy of Bulgarian people."

"We believe that Bulgaria does not belong to political parties and nothing will change if we don't have citizens' control," she told the attendees.

One of her closest allies from her former party National Movement for Stability and Prosperity, former Minister of Education Daniel Valchev, was also present at the meeting.

Valchev noted that Shumen was the city where the Ex Commissioner launched her presidential campaign last year and appealed to those present to support her project.

Applications for membership were distributed before the meeting. The movement currently has an estimated 2 600 members.

Kuneva announced the founding of "Citizens for Bulgaria" in mid-December 2011.

Meglena Kuneva entered Bulgarian politics in 2001, when liberal National Movement for Stability and Prosperity, headed by ex-Tsar Simeon Saxe-Coburg swept to power.

Since 2002, she has been Bulgaria's European Affairs Minister and chief negotiator on EU accession.

Kuneva went on to keep her ministerial position in the next coalition cabinet, led by Bulgarian Socialist Party president Sergey Stanishev.

Upon Bulgaria's entry in the EU in 2007, Kuneva became the country's first European Commissioner, taking care of the the consumer rights portfolio.

Currently she is adviser to European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas.

She ran for President of Bulgaria as independent at the October 2011 elections and ended third after the official vote count.

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