Financial questions still hang over Bulgaria's EU candidate
(STRASBOURG) - The fate of Bulgaria's EU commission hopeful Rumiana Jeleva hung in the balance Monday after parliamentary legal experts failed to clear the air on allegations that she hid financial interests.
"It is for the president of the commission (Jose Manuel Barroso) to scrutinise the declaration," of interests which she presented to back up her bid to become EU aid and crisis commissioner, the European parliament's legal experts said in a statement to the MEPs assessing Jeleva's competence for the post.
"The legal service has no means to verify the veracity and accuracy of the declaration submitted by Ms Jeleva," they insisted in their statement, seen by AFP.
"It can only assess whether the elements of the declaration, as submitted, are or are not contradicted by the documents made available to the legal service," the statement added.
Last week European lawmakers grilled the Bulgarian foreign minister over the absence of any mention of the Global Consult company in her declaration of interests.
Without pronouncing on the key issue of her latest declaration, the parliamentary legal service did speak of the possibility of earlier discrepancies regarding the Bulgarian consultancy company.
In late 2007 and January 2009 she had "nothing to declare" whereas she signed documents as manager of Global Consult in 2008 and February 2009.
The European parliament is in the process of grilling all 26 commissioners delegate, chosen by European governments to serve under Barroso during his second five-year term at the helm of the EU executive body.
The new team is due to start work next month.
Socialist MEPs have strongly criticised Jeleva, expressing concerns over her competence for the post more than for her financial declarations.
However the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) -- the biggest group in the European parliament -- is backing its natural ally.
Her fate could be decided later Monday at the European parliament in Strasbourg at a meeting of representatives from the main political groups.
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