Bulgaria's Nominee Seeks Enlargement Portfolio
2009-11-24 19:13:09

From Europolitics.info

By Brian Beary

The portfolios for the new commissioners may not be assigned yet, but Bulgaria's pick, Rumiana Zheleva, is making no secret of her preference. "My first choice is to have the portfolio of enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, especially the Eastern dimension," Zheleva, currently Bulgaria's foreign minister, told Europolitics, on 23 November, on a trip to Washington. While it was up to Commission President José Manuel Barroso to decide, she wanted "this portfolio for Bulgaria because of our engagement for the stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans and Black Sea region and our contribution to the Eastern Partnership".

MEP between 2007 and 2009, Zheleva was made foreign minister by the new government elected in July 2009, before being tipped for a return to Brussels. Though there is nothing preventing nominees publicly advocating a particular brief, her candour is unusual. Asked about the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's EU membership hopes, the 40-year-old sociology professor said "we hope that our neighbour will get the date for starting negotiations as soon as possible". The Commission, on 14 October, proposed opening accession talks but the EU Council still needs to approve this. On Neighbourhood Policy, she said "we are definitely supportive of the European perspective of all the neighbourhood countries of Bulgaria".

CLINTON TO HELP ON VISA WAIVER

Zheleva was briefing after meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She urged Clinton to expand the US Visa Waiver Programme to include Bulgaria, one of the five EU countries still not on. Noting Zheleva was "extremely strong and even passionate" on the issue, Clinton said "I would personally support" her efforts, adding "we offered to assist Bulgaria in doing what it must in order to qualify". Bulgaria, Poland and Romania are barred from entry because their visa refusal rate exceeds the 3% threshold set by Congress (17.8%, 13.5% and 26.3%, respectively). Clinton's offer to help may take the form of instructing US Embassy officials in these countries' capitals to find ways of reducing the refusal rate - for example, advising applicants not to submit applications when it is clear they will be rejected. The Commission continues to push for these three, plus Greece and Cyprus, to be added.