Ekaterina Zaharieva

Ekaterina Zaharieva from Bulgaria has been nominated as the European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation. This announcement was made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

A scandal from six years ago, involving the alleged sale of Bulgarian passports, could jeopardize Ekaterina Zaharieva's candidacy for European Commissioner, Politico reports.

Politico reports that Ekaterina Zaharieva is likely to be assigned the role of European Commissioner for Crisis Management and Humanitarian Aid in the next European Commission. The publication notes that this prediction is based on well-founded assumptions, given that Bulgaria is not seeking any of the key positions.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has largely finalized her team for the upcoming term, with several key positions already designated. According to the German newspaper "WELT," which was cited by BGNES, the role of vice-president for economic affairs is set to go to Raffaele Fitto from the Italian Brothers party.

The caretaker cabinet of Bulgaria has nominated Ekaterina Zaharieva and Julian Popov as the country's candidates for the position of European Commissioner. The decision was made during a meeting of the caretaker government held today.

Acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev is awaiting nominations for Bulgaria's European Commissioner candidates until August 29, according to the government press service. Glavchev has sent a letter to the leaders of the parliamentary groups in the 50th National Assembly, urging them to put forward their suggestions for the European Commissioner positions.

A project of a declaration in support of Ukraine's membership in NATO was submitted to the registry of the National Assembly by leading representatives of all parliamentary groups with the exception of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and "Vazrazhdane" (Revival).

With 37 votes "for", 166 "against" and 18 "abstentions", the parliament rejected a draft decision to terminate the Agreement between the governments of Bulgaria and the United States on cooperation in the field of defense, submitted by the pro-Russian party "Vazrazhdane" (Revival). GERB-SDS, WCC-DB, DPS and "There Is Such a People: voted "against", BSP abstained,

With 134 votes "in favor", 26 "against" and no "abstentions", the National Assembly in a joint project proposed by the Foreign Policy Committee declared the Holodomor in Ukraine in 1932-1933 a genocide and categorically condemned its perpetrators.

The decision also declares every last Saturday of November as a Day of Honor and Remembrance for the victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine.

At the suggestion of DPS and GERB and with the support of "There Is Such a People" and "Vazrazhdane", the meeting of the parliamentary commission, which was to hear Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska on the French proposal for negotiations with North Macedonia, was postponed.