Brussels, 10/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 10 October, the Slovenian government announced that it was putting forward its Deputy Prime Minister, the centrist Violeta Bulc, as the country's representative within the European Commission, following the withdrawal the day before of the previous Slovenian candidate, Alenka Bratusek, who failed to secure the approval of the European Parliament (EUROPE 11173). A source from the ALDE group at the EP said that Bulc, whose hearing could take place on 20 October, two days before the EP's vote on the Juncker Commission as a whole, has the right profile to take the post initially earmarked for Bratusek: vice-president of the Commission with responsibility for the energy union.
Bulc, 50, a former management consultant who is new to the world of politics, took up her duties last month as Deputy Prime Minister with responsibility for Development within the government formed by the new Slovenian Prime Minister, Miro Cerar, whose centre-left party, SMC, she has recently joined. She has been put forward to replace Bratusek. “Ms Bulc is an appropriate person for the post of European Commissioner and she has shown exceptional decision-making and leadership qualities”, said Cerar. The responsibilities she may take up within the Commission have not yet been discussed with Jean-Claude Juncker, he added.
The Social Democrats, who joined forces for the occasion with the Conservatives of the EPP at the European Parliament, called on Ljubljana on Thursday to appoint the Socialist MEP Tanja Fajon as Slovenia's new candidate for the Commission, a proposal which was decisively rejected by Cerar, who reminded them of his prerogative to choose a candidate from his own camp. “She has the right profile for the job, she has the hierarchical level required”, one source stressed.
The future President of the Commission has been more reserved over the matter. “Jean-Claude Juncker does not know her and will meet her next week (Monday or Tuesday: Ed). This stage will come before anything else”, said the spokesperson to the President-designate of the Commission, Margaritis Schinas. “The portfolio will be determined after that meeting”, Schinas added.
At one point, it was predicted that Maros Sefcovic would get the energy union job. However, the president of the Parliamentary committee on transport, Michael Cramer (Greens/EFA, Germany), has asked Juncker to keep Maros Sefcovic as candidate for the post of European Transport Commissioner. On 10 October, Cramer, under a mandate from the coordinators of all of the political groups of his committee, requested that any reshuffle of the team of Commissioners exclude the Slovakian. The President of the TRAN committee referred to Sefcovic's highly successful hearing, followed by a “very positive and consensual assessment” of his skill set by the MEPs. (LC with MD)