Ekaterina Zaharieva has not even started her work as the first EU Commissioner for start-ups, and tensions surrounding her role are already growing.
The Bulgarian politician was nominated for the post on Tuesday. In addition to startups, her area of responsibility will also include Research and innovation. But first, their appointment must be approved by the European Parliament.
Her critics hope it never gets confirmed. Here are three key reasons for their opposition.
1. You lack experience in the technical field
Zaharieva was a lawyer before rising to the rank of deputy minister in Bulgarian politics, but she has little experience in the world of technology.
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Her resume barely shows any experience with startups, nor does she have a background in research or innovation.
The R&D community reportedly wanted a commissioner with more relevant expertise. fincountry Henna Virkkunen was considered a promising alternative, but was instead proposed as the EU's next digital chief.
2. There are no plans for an EU version of DARPA
Earlier this month, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi published a scathing report on EU competitiveness.
Draghi said the bloc had failed to “translate innovation into commercialization.” To solve this problem, he wants to set up an EU agency modeled on DARPA – the Pentagon's “mad science” division.
The European Innovation Agency must be reformed to become this new institution, he said. Its mission: to support high-risk projects that could bring “groundbreaking technological advances”.
However, this bold concept was rejected in the missionary letter to Zaharieva.
3. She was involved in a scandal
However, technical problems are not the only worries plaguing Zaharieva. She was also once involved in the illegal sale of Bulgarian passports.
In 2018, a whistleblower accused Zaharieva and two other politicians of “carrying out the fraud,” Euractiv reported.
Zaharieva denied the allegations and the scandal subsided. But since her nomination for the new EU role, the allegations have resurfaced.
Politico then named Zaharieva is one of the five Commissioner candidates that the European Parliament is likely to reject. The hearings will take place in the next few weeks.
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