Balkan Personalities Named as European High-Flyers

A Romanian lawyer, a Bulgarian politician and a Croatian scientist have been listed as three of 28 people from EU states who are "shaping, shaking and stirring Europe" in a feature published by the Politico website on Wednesday.

Romania is represented on the list by Laura Codruta Kovesi, the woman leading the country's battle against corruption.

Kovesi, 42, is the head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, DNA, which was created in 2006 to fight high-level graft in the years when Romania was preparing to join the EU.

A quiet, hard-working lawyer, Kovesi is presiding over an agency which last year alone successfully prosecuted 24 mayors, five MPs, two ex-ministers and a former prime minister.

The DNA is currently investigating various members of parliament, but also ex-PM Victor Ponta and Bucharest's mayor, Sorin Oprescu.

"Today, many regular citizens look at Kovesi with the hope that Romania's politics and society can be cleansed of the deep corruption that has bedevilled the country since the fall of communism," the Politico article said.

Representing Bulgaria on the list is another woman, a Euro MP who Politico describes as a "rising star".

Aged 28, Eva Paunova is the youngest MP in the European People's Party, the largest group in the European Parliament.

"As a member of the powerful internal and consumer affairs committee of the Parliament, Paunova? is pushing Europe to be more supportive of startups and mentorships and to create an environment where young people can start businesses, particularly in the digital world," Politico said.

In Bulgaria, she has helped set up education programmes including a scheme to connect young people with employers.

"I come from a country that has said a lot but...