Bulgaria’s Ekaterina Zaharieva provisionally given role, under Commission vice-presidents for technology, industrial strategy, and skills
The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has proposed that Bulgarian commissioner candidate Ekaterina Zaharieva (pictured) should be given responsibility for startups, research and innovation in the EU’s new five-year political term.
Announcing her portfolio assignments to the EU member states’ commissioner nominees on 17 September, von der Leyen said she wants to appoint six executive vice-presidents.
Among these, Finland’s Henna Virkkunnen would be given responsibility for technology sovereignty as well as security and democracy.
France’s Stéphane Séjourné would be executive vice-president for industrial strategy as well as prosperity.
Romania’s Roxana Mînzatu would be executive vice-president for people, skills and preparedness, also having responsibility for education, although not in her title.
Ahead of the announcement, leaders from the research, innovation and education sectors had feared that von der Leyen would split responsibility for those areas into different portfolios. That appears to have happened.
The European Parliament will now evaluate the nominees’ suitability for their roles.
More to follow…
