site.btaPortfolio of the Future or Mere Disappointment – Politicians Comment Ekaterina Zaharieva’s Inclusion in New Draft EC Structure

Politicians made vastly differing comments on Tuesday about the inclusion of Ekaterina Zaharieva, who will be responsible for startups, research and innovation, in the draft structure of the new European Commission (EC). 

Announcing the distribution of portfolios in the next EC on Tuesday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Research and Innovation, the portfolio of Bulgarian Commissioner-designate Ekaterina Zaharieva, must be at the centre of the EU economy.

Ekaterina Zaharieva said that her portfolio is incredibly important.  She expressed gratitude to von der Leyen and to the Bulgarian Government for the confidence she was entrusted with and added that she is aware of the scope of her responsibility. She said: "The portfolio that Bulgaria received is one of the portfolios of the future. It is extremely important and at the heart of the current and the next Commission."

GERB leader Boyko Borissov Tuesday told reporters in Parliament that the portfolio handed out to Ekaterina Zaharieva in the European Commission fits well into the party's programmes about Bulgaria. Zaharieva was nominated by GERB-UDF.

Vazrazhdane Deputy Chair Tsoncho Ganev told reporters that the EC portfolio assigned to Bulgaria showed a disrespectful attitude towards this country.

BSP for Bulgaria Floor Leader Borislav Gutsanov called the Bulgarian portfolio in Ursula von der Leyen's new EC "rather modest and lean". "The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) warned that things could come to this and we proved right," he said, referring to Ekaterina Zaharieva's Startups, Research and Innovation portfolio.

Vice President Iliana Iotova said that she was "a bit disappointed" with the Bulgarian portfolio. She added that she had expected "some of the more resourceful portfolios to be assigned" to this country. "I wish Ekaterina Zaharieva lots of success. The hearings before the European Parliament and the relevant committees will not be easy at all," Iotova said.