Jeleva, or the Bulgarian cultural exception

The spirit of contradiction, the famous Balkan inat, can sometimes be a positive attribute. But in the present case, it certainly is not the most elegant way out of the mess Bulgaria has made in Brussels. Why persist so long in defending Rumiana Jeleva’s ill-fated candidacy, which put not only Sofia on the spot, but also the newly appointed European Commission? The diversionary tactics the Bulgarian authorities deployed here and there to put the blame on “others” only made things more complicated for them [Jelava has since been replaced by Kristalina Georgieva as commissioner-designate].

Especially if the European media take the matter seriously and hone in on statements made by prime minister Boïko Borissov, who, just a few days ago, said “Jeleva did a marvellous job” [of handling her confirmation hearing on 12 January] and personally told European leaders that over the phone. “I talked to several European heads of state to convince them we have a good candidate: I talked to those I needed to, you can rest assured,” said the prime minister, as though it was only a matter of a little arrangement between friends, as in Bulgaria, over lunch or over the phone, and not a matter of common rules we all have to follow.

As a result, the spotlight shifted from Jeleva to her supporters in parliament, the European People’s Party (EPP, conservative), and Commission president José Manuel Barroso. Because, naturally enough, everyone is wondering whom Borissov called to convince them of the Bulgarian candidate’s merits – and how he went about “sorting it out”. Once again we have succeeded in knocking Europe for six. Our want of restraint with regard to what liberties we can take and how far we can go is going to end up disconcerting and seriously embarrassing those who mean well by us and are trying to help us. In other words, three years after Bulgaria’s adoption into the European family, this event is still a culture shock, both to us and to our European partners.

Jeleva’s hearing at the EU Parliament.

Opinion

The Bulgarian precedent

Shortly after being appointed foreign minister, Rumiana Jeleva pledged to “put Bulgaria in the centre of European politics”. Today, writes the bulgarian website mediapool.bg, you might say she has achieved her goal, though not quite the way she had in mind. Jeleva and Bulgaria found themselves at the centre of an unprecedented scandal in Brussels. To be sure, the situation as such is nothing new: it is not the first time, or the last, the European Parliament has rejected a candidate. But it’s the first time a candidacy has demonstrated such ignorance of the workings of Europe and the prevailing mores at the institutions in Brussels. This was a case of miscasting, and this mistake could take a heavy toll on the government of Boïko Borissov, who was elected precisely to put an end to his predecessors’ dubious practices. And it might seriously undermine confidence in him both in Brussels and in Bulgaria.