President Juncker receives proposal for nomination of a Commissioner candidate Bulgaria
President Jean-Claude Juncker received this morning the proposal by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov for nominating Mrs Mariya Gabriel as the candidate to replace former Member of the Commission Kristalina Georgieva. President Jean-Claude Juncker will receive Mariya Gabriel for an interview to determine the candidate’s ability to serve as a European Commissioner, particularly in light of Article 17(3) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), which states that: “The members of the Commission shall be chosen on the ground of their general competence and European commitment from persons whose independence is beyond doubt.” President Juncker will also decide on the allocation of a portfolio.
The appointment of a new Commissioner of Bulgarian nationality requires common accord between the President of the Commission and the Council after the consultation of the European Parliament (Article 246, subparagraph 2 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union). In addition, the Interinstitutional Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission requires the President of the Commission to “seriously consider” the results of the consultation of the European Parliament – which will have an exchange of views with the candidate – before giving his accord to the decision of the Council to appoint the new Commissioner (para 6 of the Framework Agreement).
Following the decision of former Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva to resign from the European Commission, Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger became on 1 January 2017 the Commissioner responsible for Budget and Human Resources, while President Juncker temporarily assigned the Digital Economy and Society portfolio to Vice-President Andrus Ansip.
