Kristalina Georgieva

The nine EU countries which were supposed to make extra contributions to the EU budget by December 1, 2014, were granted a postponement by September 1, 2015 on Friday.

Friday's decision of the finance and economy ministers of the 28 EU Member States stipulated an opportunity for making the payments in installments.

Jean-Claude Juncker's team of European Commissioners is to be voted on Wednesday in Strasbourg.

It is likely that the 28-strong team will win the parliamentary approval of the full assembly and the handover of EU executive power will take place as scheduled on November 1.

Bulgaria's nominee for the European Commission Kristalina Georgieva was unanimously approved for EC VP for Budget and Human Resources by the group representatives in the European Parliament committees, reports the Club Z website, quoting sources in Brussels.

Kristalina Georgieva, the nominee to become EU Commission Vice President for Budget and Human Resources, will be questioned at the European Parliament on October 2, the EP press office has announced.

Georgieva will be facing questions from three EP committees, namely those responsible for budgets, budgetary controls and legal affairs.

Three committees at the European Parliament are to take part in the interrogation of Kristalina Georgieva in end-September.

Georgieva and all other commissioner candidates are to be heard at the sessions scheduled between September 29 and October 7 at the European Parliament.

The European Commission said on Thursday it is mobilising EUR 22 M to help the population of Ukrainian regions suffering from the consequences of the conflict.

The funding comprises additional EUR 5 M in humanitarian assistance plus EUR 17 M in development aid, the EU executive body said in a statement.

Kristalina Georgieva was among the "rare good surprises" coming from the outgoing EU Commission, the French daily Le Monde wrote Wednesday.

Romanian Social Democrat Corina Cretu will be the next European Commissioner for Regional Policy, the President-elect of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker announced in a press conference on Wednesday, introducing his commissioners for the 2014-2019 term.

A draft line-up of the new European Commission, obtained by Reuters, shows that Bulgaria's Kristalina Georgieva would most likely be taxation and anti-fraud commissioner. 

The final line-up of Jean-Claude Juncker's 28-strong team is expected to be announced on Wednesday at noon, so the draft is subject to change.

Bulgaria's Kristalina Georgieva is likely to get the budget portfolio at the EU Commission later this week, EU sources say.

She might also become one of the Commission's Vice Presidents.