Who is Ekaterina Zaharieva, new commissioner for start-ups, research and innovation?

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has appointed Bulgarian Ekaterina Zaharieva as the commissioner for start-ups, research and innovation for the next five years.

Zaharieva, a member of Bulgaria’s centre-right GERB party, is a seasoned politician, having been deputy prime minister, minister of foreign affairs and minister of justice. But her CV gives no indication that she has any background or real understanding of research and innovation, or of what is needed to foster the development of technology-based start-ups.

 Presenting her proposed team of commissioners on Tuesday morning, von der Leyen said Zaharieva will help ensure the EU invests in more focused spending on strategic priorities and innovation. “We must put research and innovation, science and technology, at the centre of our economy,” said von der Leyen.

The R&D community had been hopeful that someone with an understanding of R&D would become research commissioner, such as the Finland’s Henna Virkkunen, who has a strong track record in research and development. In the event, Virkkunen is to be executive vice president for technology sovereignty, security, and democracy.

In the class of 1975, Zaharieva studied at the University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where she was awarded a degree and master’s in law. After working as a lawyer until 2003, she started to take her first steps into politics, serving first as a legal adviser, and later as director of the legal directorate, at the ministry of environment and waters.

During the first government of prime minister Boyko Borissov in 2009, Zaharieva was appointed deputy minister of regional development and public works, a role she held until 2011.

From 2011 to 2015, she was head of cabinet and secretary general of the president of Bulgaria, and in 2013 and 2014 was appointed for a limited period as deputy prime minister for economic policy and minister of regional development and public works.

From December 2015 to January 2017, in Borissov's second government, Zaharieva was minister of justice. She then became foreign affairs minister and deputy prime minister for judicial reform, positions she held until 2021.

In 2021, Zaharieva was Bulgaria’s national coordinator for the Three Seas Initiative, a forum of thirteen states in the EU to boost cooperation in energy, transport, and digital sectors.

During that event, she called for greater connectivity in research, technology and innovation, and between businesses and start-up companies.

Zaharieva will replace fellow Bulgarian Iliana Ivanova, who warmly welcomed Zaharieva’s appointment. “This is a recognition of her competence and qualities, as well as Bulgaria's achievements and contribution in this field,” Ivanova said.

This is the third time the research portfolio has been assigned to a Bulgarian. In 2019, von der Leyen appointed Mariya Gabriel as research commissioner. Ivanova replaced Gabriel after she resigned to take on the role of deputy prime minister in the Bulgarian government.

Zaharieva will have to gain the approval of the European Parliament before she can start her new job in Brussels. MEPs usually grill designated commissioners on their competence in the field, but also raise questions about their ethics and political career. In 2019, Zaharieva denied alleged links to a case of bribes in exchange for Bulgarian passports.