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A new Bulgarian commissioner (humanitarian aid) is appointed (Maj)

(BRUSSELS2) Bulgaria has decided to appoint a new European Commissioner in place of Roumiana Jeleva, who had failed her hearing (1) for the position of Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. This is Kristalina Georgieva, who is now vice-president of the World Bank.

A solution that avoids the crisis

Since the last events (2), everything has accelerated in Strasbourg. The decision was made very early this morning. As soon as his hearing was over, Jeleva had made the decision to resign from his post as commissioner, and even to leave politics, by resigning from his post as Minister of Foreign Affairs. She was even talking about leaving Bulgaria and going to the United States. She does not " couldn't stand the pressure in the opinion of several people who approached her. The President of the EPP, Joseph Daul, the Bulgarian ambassador, and the representatives of the Commission had convinced him not to do so.

But the "counter-offensive" did not bear fruit. Her opponents were determined not to let her pass. The meetings of the coordinators of the development commission followed one another without obtaining a unanimous agreement. Finally, a meeting of the Development Committee was to meet this afternoon in Strasbourg. With key voting. The result was unstoppable: the weight of the various groups (S&D, Liberals, Greens...) opposed to Jeleva was such that it amounted to censorship. It was therefore necessary to prevent the case from rising too high.

The European Commission wanted a candidate, or rather a candidate, solid, who could be irreproachable, and who was already in the circuit. Kristalina Georgieva was the suitable candidate, both by his credit at the international level and his Anglo-Saxon training. Which is also necessary since she will be one of the "deputy commissioners" of Catherine Asthon, the High Representative for foreign policy.

In her resignation letter communicated very early this morning, Jeleva repeats that she has been "damage to his honor"by the attacks.

Hurry now

The timetable for the entry into force of the Commission (scheduled for February 1) has been disrupted. Joseph Daul, the leader of the EPP (Christian Democrats) hopes, however, that the new Commission could enter the race before the extraordinary summit on 11 February. What everyone is aware of in institutions. But we must not discredit the whole hearing process. It is thus necessary to leave at least 2 weeks to the new commissioner to prepare and then to have a vote in plenary of the European Parliament. The hearing could then take place at the beginning of February (February 3 confirmed Jerzy Buzek, the President of the European Parliament). And the vote during the plenary, on February 9, in Strasbourg (which can only delight the Alsatian who is Joseph Daul).

Everyone is however aware that the time taken advantage of in recent days by the European Commission has consisted in finding an irreproachable candidate and preparing the ground with the main groups. Finding the future Bulgarian commissioner within the World Bank has several advantages: his past has already been "chandelier", examined on several occasions by the World Bank which gave it in a way its white bosom. It is away from Bulgarian political politics which is deadly. And it has an international past that few people have today. Bulgarians A more acceptable candidate also for the President of the European Commission Jeleva's departure did not bring too many tears to the Berlaymont (read the press release from the European Commission).
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The very international career of Kristalina Georgieva

Kristalina Georgieva, is today Vice-President and Secretary of the World Bank, since March 2008. But she works for the international institution since 1993, according to the CV filed with the World Bank.

Holder of a Ph.D. in Economics and a Masters in Political Economy and Sociology from Sofia University of Economics, eShe has also done research and studies in environmental economics and policy at the London School of Economics and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Then she held several academic and consulting positions in Bulgaria and the United States.

Joined the World Bank, she occupiedseveral technical and management positions, mainly on environmental and sustainable development issues. De 1993-1997, she was an economist in charge of environmental projects in Central and Eastern Europe. During the East Asia crisis, as Director of Environment and Social Development for the Asia region, she oversees the design and implementation of programs on key social issues, the response to the Bank's concerns in the region at the subject of risks
environmental. Like
Director of the Environment from 2000-2004, she led the preparation of the World Bank's environmental strategy. From 2004 to 2007, she was Director of Operations responsible for all World Bank activities in Russia, managing a $2,2 billion portfolio of projects in public management, health, education, municipal development and of the environment. In 2007, she assumed responsibilities for strategy and operations in the World Bank's sustainable development network.

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Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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