Bulgaria's new commission candidate wows hearers

Feb 3, 2010, 16:48 GMT

Brussels - Bulgaria's new nominee to the post of European Union emergency-aid commissioner wowed her listeners in the European Parliament on Wednesday, three weeks after her predecessor's career came to a humiliating end in the same building.

The Bulgarian government named World Bank vice-president Kristalina Georgieva to the European Commission on January 19 after its first-choice candidate, Rumiana Jeleva, resigned.

Members of the parliament's international development committee had accused Jeleva of lying on her official declaration of interests and of being incapable of running EU policy.

The same parliamentarians lined up to praise Georgieva on Wednesday as they put her through her official confirmation hearing - a necessary part of the appointment process.

'It is a pleasure to discuss with you,' said German conservative parliamentarian Birgit Schnieber-Jastram.

British socialist Michael Cashman praised Georgieva's 'impressive intellect,' while Slovenian liberal Ivo Vajgl commented on her 'competence and manner.'

Georgieva called for the creation of an EU-wide corps of voluntary aid workers by 2011 and an analysis of how the EU's 27 member states could better coordinate their reaction to disasters such as the January earthquake in Haiti.

The commission is the EU's executive, drafting its laws and making sure that member states follow them.

Each member state appoints one commissioner, but the entire college, as they are collectively known, can only start working once it is approved by the parliament.

Georgieva's hearing was the last in the current series. The parliament is expected to vote on the new commission on February 9.