Ex Bulgarian Minister Becomes EU 'Digital Champ'

In 2011, Bulgaria's former European Affairs Minister, Gergana Passy, became the youngest Bulgarian to ever receive the highest French order - the Legion of Honor for her contributions to the country's EU Integration. Photo by M3 Communications Group

Bulgaria's former EU Affairs Minister in the Three-Way Coalition cabinet, Gergana Passy, is nominated by the ruling GERB party as "digital champion."

The news was reported by the Bulgarian Trud (labor) daily, citing own, undisclosed sources.

The nomination is expected to be officially announced in Brussels Monday.

The initiative was launched by the European Commission with 13 EU Member States already having their own "digital champions." The project is under the patronage of EC President, Jose Manuel Barroso, and the Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes. The idea has the goal of making digitalization more popular and of convincing every single European in the benefits from using it in daily life.

Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, has chosen Gergana Passy after concluding that she fulfills all EC requirements such as being a dynamic, popular and open person, capable of attracting media attention towards the initiative. In addition, the nominee must understand and mobilize industry, education and volunteer activities.

The cabinet of the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, is also nominating the ex EU Affaires Minister over her contribution in the campaign of to introduce universal mobile phone chargers across the EU and the effort to have free internet for Europeans.

The universal (common) charger is now a fact and the latter have been standardized under the Bulgarian initiative. Gergana and husband Solomon Passy, former Foreign Affairs Minister, recently announced their goal to have 3 000 settlements in Bulgaria with free wireless internet by the end of the year.