THE FATE of Bulgarian foreign minister Rumiana Jeleva appeared too close to call last night as a key committee of the European Parliament prepared in Strasbourg to discuss her nomination as humanitarian aid commissioner in the incoming EU executive.
Senior sources briefed on the machinations within the commission and the parliament, which is scheduled to vote on the incoming commission on January 26th, said yesterday that Ms Jeleva’s prospects were no better than 50:50.
While the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) group of MEPs held rigidly to the line that she is a suitable candidate for the post, she still faces opposition from Socialist, Green and Liberal MEPs after a poor confirmation hearing last week.
However, the EPP reported on its website last night that the legal service of the European Parliament had declared “she meets the Commissioner’s Code of Conduct”. The EPP, of which Ms Jeleva is a vice-president, said it welcomed this clarification and added that it was anticipated.
Although the quality of Ms Jeleva’s financial declarations has drawn repeated questioning from MEPs, it was her weak responses to questions at her confirmation hearing that brought her candidacy into question for many in the parliament.
“She hasn’t got the competence for the job,” said the chief spokesman for the Socialist group.
Ms Jeleva has long been seen as the weakest link in the incoming commission, although a poor performance by incoming digital agenda commissioner Neelie Kroes also annoyed MEPs.
Ms Kroes is to meet again in private with the parliamentary committee in question before it decides whether to endorse her nomination.
Ms Jeleva’s fate, at least in the immediate term, will be determined by the co-ordinators of the political groups represented on the development committee of the parliament.
They will make a recommendation to a conclave of senior MEPs who will decide on Thursday whether to back the incoming EU executive assembled by commission chief José Manuel Barroso.
The parliament has the power to reject the entire commission if it deems any single commissioner unsuitable, so its deliberations are crucial to Mr Barroso’s prospects of delivering his new team unaltered.
While Mr Barroso backed Ms Jeleva’s candidacy in a letter to the parliament last Friday, sources said the tenor of his endorsement could not be said to be strong.
He said she had the “necessary general competence” and international experience for the job and showed the “necessary levels of European commitment”.
