Rumiana Jeleva to promote solidarity as European commissioner

published on 12/1/09 1:50 PM

Photo: BGNES

European Commission President Jose Barroso has entrusted to the Bulgarian candidate for EU commissioner, Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva, the office of International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. Minister Jeleva pointed to the importance of her future job in view of its foreign policy dimension, this country’s efforts to improve its international image and the governmental priority of making Bulgaria a regional stability factor and a respectable EU member. At a press conference the Bulgarian foreign minister said that she was pleased with the portfolio she had been given and pointed to its exceptional political significance in view of the enforcement of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December.

“It outlines humanitarian aid as an autonomous community policy of the European Union and this has been laid out in Article 214, Para 1.5 from the Lisbon Treaty”, Rumiana Jeleva explained. “One key objective of the EU will be to create a voluntary European corps for humanitarian aid. I believe that the portfolio of International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response is among the offices in the future European Commission that will work to promote the EU values as a global player on the international scene creating the need of sustainable development and solidarity. The future commissioner will be in charge of the Humanitarian Aid Directorate General, an EC service delivering humanitarian aid to victims of conflicts and natural disasters in third countries. This general objective contributes to attainment of the strategic goal of the commission spelled out in its new program, namely, to promote Europe as a global partner. This goal is part of the general policy for external relations which is only beginning to emerge as a community policy with the enforcement of the Lisbon Treaty”, Minister Jeleva said.

The budgetary equivalent of the portfolio entrusted to Bulgaria is close to EUR 1 billion. In 2008 the EU delivered humanitarian aid to more than 60 countries worldwide. Minister Jeleva explained that the efforts of the European Commission should be put into prevention of man-made conflicts. She defined the European values that she would promote as EU commissioner:

“In this first place, this is solidarity, a core European value. The EU is a key donor in situation of conflicts, crises and disasters. I believe that this creates very high transparency for the official leading this office”, Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva said.

In case she is endorsed as European Commission member in January, Rumiana Jeleva will be the first EC member with this portfolio. The nominees for EU commissioners are subject to hearings in the respective European Parliament committees, and are put to vote as an EC lineup. MEPs are free to reject nominations. This was what happened to Romania’s nominee three years ago, and to Italy’s one five years ago, during Mr Barroso’s first mandate.

English version: Daniela Konstantinova

По публикацията работи: Iliana Raicheva

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