European Commission

Thierry Breton, France's European Commissioner for the Internal Market, has resigned and withdrawn his candidacy for a future European Commission role. Breton's decision comes just a day before President Ursula von der Leyen was set to announce her new team of commissioners.

Until recently, the European Union’s health department enjoyed special attention, especially after the COVID-19 crisis, when it received an additional €5 billion in funding and established a new agency for health crisis response. At that time, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, with four decades of experience in the health sector, led the efforts.

Politico reports that Ekaterina Zaharieva is likely to be assigned the role of European Commissioner for Crisis Management and Humanitarian Aid in the next European Commission. The publication notes that this prediction is based on well-founded assumptions, given that Bulgaria is not seeking any of the key positions.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the next European Commission will include at least ten women. Initially, only four women were proposed by the member states, aside from von der Leyen herself and Kaja Kallas, who was already appointed as the EU's top diplomat.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she is doubling down and pushing full steam ahead to achieve gender parity in her executive Commission team that runs the day-to-day affairs of the massive bloc - despite stubborn resistance from some of the 27 member states.

Belgium was the only country that missed the August 30 deadline to nominate its candidates for European Commissioner, according to Politico. The deadline, set by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, required each member state to propose both a male and a female candidate.

Bulgarian European Commissioner Iliana Ivanova announced today on her Facebook profile that she will be leaving the European Commission due to personal reasons. Her departure means she will step down from the EU executive body after just one year in office.

Bulgaria is set to receive the portfolio for regional policy in the upcoming European Commission, according to BNT. This position will see the Bulgarian European Commissioner overseeing cohesion policy and regional support.

Acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev is awaiting nominations for Bulgaria's European Commissioner candidates until August 29, according to the government press service. Glavchev has sent a letter to the leaders of the parliamentary groups in the 50th National Assembly, urging them to put forward their suggestions for the European Commissioner positions.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who promised a unified rail ticket across Europe during her election campaign five years ago, has yet to deliver on this initiative. Despite her commitment, a single, cross-border rail ticket remains unavailable.