The European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has nominated Bulgarian politician Ekaterina Zaharieva as the EU’s commissioner for research and innovation. ‘We must put research and innovation, science and technology at the centre of our economy. She will help ensure that we invest more and focus our spending on strategic priorities and on groundbreaking innovation,’ von der Leyen stated upon naming Zaharieva, a former Bulgarian deputy prime minister, to the five-year term on 17 September.
The nomination, which must still be approved by the European parliament, appears to go against the recent advice of 19 science Nobel laureates who earlier this month urged von der Leyen to install an established research champion to the role. They also encouraged her to make research and innovation a centrepiece in the next commission – advice that is echoed in von der Leyen’s comments relating to the appointment.
Zaharieva, who has a legal background, belongs to Bulgaria’s centre-right party and has also served as the country’s minister of foreign affairs as well as its minister of justice. But it doesn’t appear that she has experience in the realm of research and innovation.
EU’s new research commissioner named | News
