May 10 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's government said on Wednesday it has nominated European Parliament member Mariya Gabriel to serve as European Commissioner.
The seat of Bulgaria's member of the European Commission has been vacant since Kristalina Georgieva, Vice President for Budget and Human Resources, stepped down to take the position of Chief Executive Officer for the World Bank from the start of 2017.
"I am glad to inform you that today, at its first meeting, the Bulgarian government has decided to nominate Mariya Gabriel to the post," prime minister Boyko Borissov said in a letter to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, according to a government statement.
"Considering her professional qualities and experience in the European Parliament, I am convinced that Mariya Gabriel will make an important and valuable contribution to the work of the Commission," Borissov added.
Gabriel, a member of Bulgaria’s governing conservative GERB party, has been a member of the European Parliament in the group of the European People’s Party (EPP) since 2009. As of 2014 she is EPP group vice-president in the European Parliament and head of the Bulgarian Delegation in the EPP group.
Last week, GERB leader Borissov formed a coalition government with nationalist alliance United Patriots following early elections held in March. The two coalition partners control among themselves 122 of 240 seats in Bulgaria's parliament.