site.btaEuropean Commission Asks PM Denkov to Nominate New Commissioner

President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen sent Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov an official letter to ask him to nominate a new European Commissioner to complete Mariya Gabriel's mandate at the EC, the Council of Ministers press service reported on Friday evening. Gabriel served as European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth between 2019 and 2023, when she had to resign after GERB raised her nomination for Bulgaria's Prime Minister.

Gabriel was elected Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Commission expects the Bulgarian government to shortly nominate two candidates: a woman and a man, as von der Leyen's political priorities include full gender equality among the commissioners.

According to EU rules, commissioners are selected on the basis of their general competence and commitment to the European values, who have proven their independence.

Von der Leyen noted Gabriel's great commitment to her tasks as a commissioner and expressed gratitude for her good work.