New EU team at risk over Bulgarian nominee

(STRASBOURG) - The incoming European Commission could suffer a major blow Monday if the European parliament decides to block a Bulgarian nominee accused of incompetence and financial misreporting.

Rumiana Jeleva, Bulgaria's candidate for EU aid commissioner, is due to take up the job on February 1, when the quake devastation in Haiti will still be topping the job's agenda, but could be blocked when lawmakers pronounce their verdict.

While the parliament does not have the right to veto individual commissioners, it can oppose the whole line-up when they give their formal opinion on the team on January 26.

Jeleva came under fire at an EU parliamentary confirmation hearing last week.

While the conservative Bulgarian foreign minister has the support of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), the biggest political grouping, the socialists are calling for her head while the liberals and Greens have also been critical.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov have voiced relatively guarded support.

"If she accepted to become European commissioner, it was her duty to get her papers in order. If this was not the case, she will not have my support," Borisov said on Friday.

He has also said that he has a "Plan B" up his sleeve if required.

Barroso backed Jeleva in a letter to the president of the EU parliament.

Jeleva "has the necessary general competence, international experience and shows the necessary levels of European commitment to exercise these functions," he wrote.

Assembly sources said on Sunday that Jeleva is set to be cleared of any financial wrongdoing, but that her ability to handle the portfolio of disaster management and humanitarian aid was still in question.

During her job interview at the European parliament, Jeleva's answers sometimes appeared imprecise if not ignorant, leaving several MEPs to denounce her "incompetence."

As battle lines were drawn, the conservative EPP vice-chairman Jozsef Szajer sniffed a "witch hunt," denouncing "unfounded allegations" against her.

The centre-right MEPs began targeting Slovak commission candidate Maros Sefcovic, over controversial comments on the Roma people, in a tit-for-tat response.

Representatives of the various political groups were due to meet in Strasbourg later Monday to discuss the matter. An unfavourable opinion would oblige Barroso to let Jeleva go or at least to reassign her to another portfolio.

Other would-be-members of Barroso's new team also underperformed during their parliamentary question-and-answer sessions last week.

The euro deputies have also postponed their decision till this week on Neelie Kroes, a heavyweight in the outgoing commission, after an unimpressive audition for the new technology portfolio.

Finland's Olli Rehn, like Kroes an outgoing commissioner, also failed to impress some MEPs in his bid to secure the key economic and monetary affairs post.

In 2004, when Barroso's first team of policy commissioners was being vetted, the parliament forced the withdrawal of Italian candidate Rocco Buttiglione over his views on gay rights.

Barroso's 26-member team of policy commissioners, nominated by national governments, are due to assume their responsibilities next month.

European Parliament Hearings of the 
Commissioners-designate