Jeleva, the new crisis response commissioner (portrait)
(BRUSSELS2) As announced Friday by José-Manuel Barroso President of the European Commission, Rumiana Jeleva will be in charge of the portfolio of "International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response", a portfolio that corresponds to the crisis management that we were calling for (1).
It brings together Humanitarian Aid (DG Echo) - which was in the last commission co-managed with Development - and the new
post of Civil Protection - stemming from the new competence created by the Treaty of Lisbon - (the unit which dealt with this question and which was housed in DG Environment will be integrated into DG Echo). Along with Enlargement and Development, he is part of the "External Relations" group of Commissioners coordinated by the High Representative, C. Ashton.
Without being of primary importance, this portfolio has a high media value (we must remember how the Italian Bonino was able to give it a certain luster). Jeleva - if she pays a little attention to it - can quickly become one of the most famous commissioners.
Born in 1969 (April 18), in Nova Zagora, a town in southern Bulgaria, Rumiana Jeleva studied in Burgas (in the German language High School which she finished in 1988) then at the University of Sofia in social pedagogy and sociology (1994 and 1995). She completed this training with courses in industrial sociology and economics at the University of Bielefeld and the Free University of Berlin (1994, 2000-2001), and ended with a PhD obtained in 2003 at the Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg. (Germany), subject of his thesis: “Socio-Interpretative Models of Entrepreneurs in the Economics of Transition”. While working. "I've been working since I was 15" she told Bulgarian journalists.
Associate researcher at the University of Sofia in sociology, in the laboratory "Sociology of Labor and Social Policy (2005), she also manages the NGO "New Social Practices" responsible for developing social projects (2004-2007) and a consultancy company, specializing in social matters "Global Consult Ltd" (2006-2007).In this capacity, she participated in several UNDP and Phare projects on the development of initiatives on the labor market, social inclusion and youth. also held several positions on boards of directors or supervisors: at the national investment fund "Labor" (1995-1998), at the company Plastimo JSC of Samokov (1997-1998) and Eztour JSC of Pravets (1997- 1998).
Elected in 2007 to the European Parliament, on the list of the Conservative Party GERB, she sits on the Regional Development Committee (alternate to the Employment Committee). In particular, she is rapporteur for the EP on the United Nations Convention on the Disabled and for the task force on undeclared work. Re-elected in 1999, she chose the Foreign Affairs Committee. Not for a long time. In July 2009, she was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Boyko Borisov (GERB) and returned to Sofia. Not a diplomat at first, she got used to it. " It's true. It is not easy. she confides in an interview with the Bulgarian daily Troud. " It is true that I was much more active in university circles and in international projects financed by the UN, the World Bank or the European Union, than I am in political circles. This professional experience, my very strong intuition (which is never wrong) and my education are three elements on which I rely. »
In autumn 2009, his name quickly appeared to replace Kuneva at the European Commission. Initially, it was rather aimed at the item "Enlargement and neighborhood policy". " For me, not all areas are created equal. I will therefore not be a European commissioner at all costs “, she said in early November. " This coincides with the national interests of Bulgaria – it is important for us that the Balkan and Black Sea region is a region of security and prosperity.. “ she explained in an interview in the daily “24 Tchassa”. However, it seemed delicate to entrust this position to a Bulgarian because of the possible difficulties on certain "Balkan" files, in particular with Macedonia, and possible conflicts of interest.
(1) Read A European Commissioner responsible for crisis management? An idea to explore
(photo credit: facebook of Jeleva)
