Bulgaria's PM Dismisses Reports UN Envoy Will Be Next EU Commissioner

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has refuted reports that UN Middle East Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov is to be the next European Commissioner.

"It is from you that I am hearing this from the first time," Borisov has told reporters when asked about the information, according to BGNES wire service.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, was formerly a special envoy to Iraq. He also served as Foreign Minister in Borisov's first cabinet (20092-2013).

Bulgaria's EU Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva, will be leaving the office to take over a CEO position at the World Bank Group.

The head of government, however, has made clear he will take the time he needs to deal with the issue of Georgieva's replacement after the presidential elections whose first round is on Sunday.

Bulgaria will need a new commissioner as of January 2017. Borisov earlier indicated the country would prefer the environment or regional development portfolio for its next representative in the EU's executive body.

Georgieva is Vice President for Budget and Human Resources, but the portfolio is now handed to Gunther Oettinger of Germany.

Another name that has appeared in media reports is that of President Rosen Plevneliev, but these have also been refuted by the Prime Minister.