Very soon the Bulgarian Member of the European Parliament Maria Gabriel will fill the ranks of top European politicians under 40 - she will soon become the new Bulgarian Member of the European Commission.
Following a formal vote by the European Parliament in July, she will assume the Digital Economy and Society portfolio. Mrs. Gabriel was nominated by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to take over as an EU Commissioner under a proposal by the Bulgarian government to replace Kristalina Georgieva. Mrs Georgieva resigned in the end of October 2016 and became CEO of the World Bank, the international institution where she had spent most of her globetrotting career.
The digital portfolio is one of the most important departments in the European Commission since it deals with issues of digital copyright, broadband Internet penetration or fake news counter-strategies. It became available because the previous commissioner - Gunther Oettinger, took over the budget portfolio which was vacated when Mrs. Georgieva resigned.
The nomination of Mrs. Gabriel was proposed by the Bulgarian government in May following a tortoise selection path. Following Mrs. Georgieva resignation the government and the then Prime Minister Boyko Borrisоv refused to name a replacement, because the government itself resigned. Mr. Borissov didn't want to be attacked for nominating a political appointee before the elections. As a result, Bulgaria was left without representation on the EU's executive body for more than half a year. With Brexit negotiations going on, the debates on the future of Europe and EU in existential crisis, it was not the best time for such a move.
A very well connected politician
Mrs. Gabriel candidature was easily and almost immediately approved by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Her nomination as Commissioner-designate was expected in Brussels, as her name was flouted around by Boyko Borissov already in November last year.
Mrs. Gabriel became member of the European Parliament in 2009 which was her first job following research career in the academia. She was part of the youth section of GERB and one of the few young and educated early supporters of the party led by Mr. Borissov.
Although Mrs. Gabriel is not very popular in Bulgaria, since her whole political life has been taking place in the European Parliament, one thing can't be denied about her- she knows how to play her cards in the Brussels politics. She is married to Francois Gabriel, who used to be a close confidante to the European People's Party boss Joseph Daul for more than a decade. Mr. Gabriel is now advisor to the European Parliament speaker Antonio Tajani. Mariya Gabriel has successfully won support in the close circles of the Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Members of his officelobbied stubbornly on her behalf and flatly refused to discuss other possible Bulgarian candidates. The reason is quite simple - the future chief of her office will most probably be one of the Mr. Juncker's spokespersons which will solidify the control over the digital portfolio of Juncker's chief of staff Martin Selmayr. He is an expert in copyright law and recently said that his next book will probably be on this matter. The new Commissioner will oversee the negotiation on digital copyright with search engines and news aggregators for example, both topics of keen interest to Mr. Selmayr.
A dream portfolio
Although Mrs. Gabriel clearly lacks qualification in the digital realm (she was unable to point to a single achievement in her written responses to MEP's questions), her expected appointment is not based on them. European Commission officials were not hiding that they see her as a promotion vehicle in the European Parliament for the already proposed legislation. Her contacts and two terms in the Parliament will definitely help her.
During her mandate it is expected that the European Commission will initiate a new legislation on cross-border free flow of non-personal data and for free access and reuse of publicly funded data. One of the most difficult tasks for Mrs. Gabriel as a Commissioner will be the expected push through reform towards removal of illegal content, a code phrase for enhanced copyright protection. This is a contentious issue and she will face fierce opposition from the supporters of free content.
Most of the expected legislative work will be difficult to sell but some of the proposals like the attempt to rein in the on-line platforms will be met with popular support. Mrs. Gabriel will need to propose legislation to address the unfair contractual clauses and trading practices identified in platform-to-business relationships. That is why the digital portfolio could be regarded as a dream job - it concerns millions of consumers who could benefit from the new legislation. It is now up to Mrs. Gabriel to make it work for her.
Very soon the Bulgarian Member of the European Parliament Maria Gabriel will fill the ranks of top European politicians under 40 - she will soon become the new Bulgarian Member of the European Commission.
