Ekaterina Zaharieva will probably not be approved as a European Commissioner, writes "Politico". The reason, according to the publication, is her involvement in the scandal with the sale of Bulgarian passports, which broke out in 2018.
"Politico" recalls that since 2004, the European Parliament has selected at least one candidate for European Commissioner in each composition of the European Commission. Among them is another Bulgarian, also proposed by GERB - Rumyana Zheleva. In 2009, she withdrew her candidacy after an unconvincing performance in the European Parliament, in which, according to various assessments, she demonstrated ignorance of her portfolio, poor English and failed to answer questions about her family's financial interests. Before the hearing, the German "Di Welt" published a portrait of Zheleva entitled "Gangster bride for the European Commission?". In it, the journalists wrote that Zheleva is incompetent, and her husband works with the Russian mafia on the Black Sea.
Lastly, in 2019, three candidates for European Commissioners were rejected, recalls "Politico" - those of Romania, Hungary and France - because of various suspicions of conflict of interest and ethical considerations. Oliver Varhei's candidacy for a second term as the representative of Hungary may also be rejected. The nominations of Slovenia, Belgium and Malta are also in jeopardy due to connections with lobbying firms, a trip to Crimea and doubts about experience, the publication also notes.
What is the problem with Zaharieva?
In 2018, the chairman of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Petar Haralampiev, expelled from the coalition partner of GERB - United Patriots, was detained. Kharalampiev was accused of issuing false certificates of Bulgarian origin, which are necessary for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship, for bribes under his wing. Zaharieva's name was implicated in the scandal by Katya Mateva, director of the "Bulgarian Citizenship" Directorate. in the Ministry of Justice. She claimed that as Minister of Justice in the period 2015-2017, Zahariva covered up the passport trading scheme.
The topic was brought back into the public space after Ekaterina Zaharieva was nominated for European Commissioner by Bulgaria together with the former eco-minister Julian Popov. Zaharieva denies the accusations and no legal action has been taken against her, but her political opponents are trying to remind everyone of her connection to the scandal, summarizes "Politico". Whether Zaharieva's candidacy will be approved is not clear, but it can be expected that mainly from the political families in the European Parliament, in which the MEPs critical of GERB are members, serious questions will be raised about the scandal of 2018.