Iliana Ivanova could replace former European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, who has become Bulgaria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs (see EUROPE 13211/29). Before this takes place, the European Commissioner-designate for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Sport and Youth will take part in a three-hour hearing on Tuesday 5 September with MEPs from the Committees on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and Culture and Education (CULT).
Iliana Ivanova, born on 14 September 1975 in Stara Zagora, is known to be a European who is au fait with fiscal matters.
She was coordinator of international financial institutions for the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food from 1999 to 2002, then worked as a business and investment analyst for several financial institutions in the United States between 2004 and 2006 (Total Systems Acquiring Solutions, Beal Bank, Countrywide Home Loans).
Elected to Sofia City Council from 2007 to 2009, Ms Ivanova was then a member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2012. She has been a member of the European Court of Auditors (ECA) since 2013.
On Wednesday 23 August, the European Commissioner-designate sent written answers to a series of questions posed by Members of the European Parliament (see EUROPE 13234/1, 13234/2).
Among other topics, at the hearing she will be asked to provide assurances as to her independence, transparency and respect for parliamentary control if she is appointed Commissioner.
In addition, she is expected to be questioned more specifically about her strategic priorities, solutions for funding research in Europe and, in the field of education, the funding of Erasmus +.
Ms Ivanova will also be asked about her approach to policy and integrated funding for culture, and her vision for Creative Europe.
In terms of matters related to young people, she could be asked about her support for ‘youth tests’.
Finally, MEPs are expected to discuss the Commissioner-designate’s vision for the bodies implementing the European research programme, including the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Research Council (ERC).
Following the hearing, the chairs of the ITRE and CULT committees will meet with the group representatives (coordinators) of the two committees to assess Ms Ivanova’s suitability for the post. The results of the hearing will be reviewed by the Conference of Parliamentary Committee Chairs. These assessments will then be forwarded to the Conference of Presidents of the parliamentary groups, which will decide at a final assessment on 6 September whether to end the hearing process and schedule the vote at the plenary session from 11 to 14 September.
The European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) examined the Commissioner-designate’s potential or actual conflicts of interest on 19 July and, after analysis, approved her declaration of financial interests.
Link to the written answers: https://aeur.eu/f/8bo (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)