wannarock
22 Sep 2009, 09:37
Can Business Be Ethical?
13 September 2009 - Issue : 851
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
While new Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, the former mayor of Sofia, is not the type of political leader to succumb to pressure and blackmail, his country’s current European Commissioner, serving in the low-level Consumer Affairs position, Meglena Kuneva, is making her best effort to show she can manoeuvre with the big boys but is proving the opposite. Kuneva, who won a seat in the European Parliament in June, decided to stay in her job – though she knew she might lose it because her party lost the election and the power to appoint Bulgaria’s representative to the European Commission - is struggling to keep her job and using all the kinds of means she learned in Sofia and Brussels.
Although Bulgaria’s Deputy Premier Tsvetan Tsvetanov said in Sofia she would not be going back to Brussels, there’s still some wiggle room and she’s shown a survivor’s ability. Kuneva had a brilliant career so far, one which was not interrupted or delayed by the sea change that occurred in Europe after the collapse of the Communist regimes or the structural changes that followed. Starting as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Law of the late Communist leader Todor Zhivkov, Kuneva married financier Andrey Pramov, son of the one of the most powerful Secretaries of the Bulgarian Communist party, thus becoming by marriage a member of the top echelon of the Communist nomenclature. In this capacity, Kuneva joined the Legal Service of the Council of Ministers. Following the end of Communism in Bulgaria in 1989, Kuneva “jumped” from the Communist nomenclatura to the new order, joining the court of King Simeon. She was thus elected a Member of Parliament with the King’s party and for a brief period also served as Deputy Minister.
Kuneva was appointed to her country’s spot in the European Commission by Socialist Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev on the hope that her connections and knowledge of European affairs would help Bulgaria overcome difficulties in Brussels. But after securing her appointment, Kuneva completely forgot her commitments to Stanishev and Bulgaria received very severe treatment from the Commission, including a freeze in EU payments because of rampant corruption in offices that get EU funding. This explains why Kuneva and Stanishev have not been on speaking terms for the past two years or so, and why the then Prime Minister was told by a Commissioner that, “…we have a Commissioner from Bulgaria but you don’t have a Bulgarian Commissioner.” Indeed, those in the know remember that besides the King’s pressure, Stanishev was requested by two Members of the European Commission, Franco Frattini from Italy and Olli Rehn from Finland, to appoint Kuneva.
Seeking re-appointment, Kuneva is now playing with new friends though and making the same arguments why she’s the best person for the job and her country. What Borisov seems to be offered in return is the proposition of Kuneva to reportedly close an eye when judging whether there’s corruption and bad practices in the government. This was indirectly implied by Kuneva in statements to the Bulgarian press. This approach may prove highly counterproductive since Borisov is not begging for tolerance from the European Commission but demanding an end to his country’s de-marginalization and to get the role it deserves in European decision-making, and a post other than Consumer Affairs. Indeed, Borisov, as Secretary of the Internal Ministry, the highest administrative positions in matters of internal security, has cut deeply into organized crime in Bulgaria in a matter of months, despite the obstacle set by various politicians, allowing his country to join the European Union.
Kuneva is now trying to approach the center-right European People’s Party, despite the expressed support from the Liberals and its leader, Guy Verhovstadt, who wants her to stay in her seat. To this effect, she participated in the presentation of EPP President Wilfried Martens’ book signing presentation last week in Brussels. Kuneva has to overcome two major obstacles: the nomination by Borisov - provided he succumbs to pressure - and then approval of her appointment by the European Parliament. This may prove to be Mission Impossible because she could have been in the Parliament but rejected it and resigned just to remain a Commissioner for a few more months. But not before making inflammatory statements in the Bulgaria media, that, when are read by the European lawmakers, will make her appointment very unlikely indeed. If that happens, if Borisov proposes Kuneva and Parliament rejects her nomination, then the problem won’t be hers anymore, but Borisov’s because he will lose face and have to nominate a new Commissioner, even if he didn’t want her in the first place.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
13 September 2009 - Issue : 851
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
While new Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, the former mayor of Sofia, is not the type of political leader to succumb to pressure and blackmail, his country’s current European Commissioner, serving in the low-level Consumer Affairs position, Meglena Kuneva, is making her best effort to show she can manoeuvre with the big boys but is proving the opposite. Kuneva, who won a seat in the European Parliament in June, decided to stay in her job – though she knew she might lose it because her party lost the election and the power to appoint Bulgaria’s representative to the European Commission - is struggling to keep her job and using all the kinds of means she learned in Sofia and Brussels.
Although Bulgaria’s Deputy Premier Tsvetan Tsvetanov said in Sofia she would not be going back to Brussels, there’s still some wiggle room and she’s shown a survivor’s ability. Kuneva had a brilliant career so far, one which was not interrupted or delayed by the sea change that occurred in Europe after the collapse of the Communist regimes or the structural changes that followed. Starting as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Law of the late Communist leader Todor Zhivkov, Kuneva married financier Andrey Pramov, son of the one of the most powerful Secretaries of the Bulgarian Communist party, thus becoming by marriage a member of the top echelon of the Communist nomenclature. In this capacity, Kuneva joined the Legal Service of the Council of Ministers. Following the end of Communism in Bulgaria in 1989, Kuneva “jumped” from the Communist nomenclatura to the new order, joining the court of King Simeon. She was thus elected a Member of Parliament with the King’s party and for a brief period also served as Deputy Minister.
Kuneva was appointed to her country’s spot in the European Commission by Socialist Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev on the hope that her connections and knowledge of European affairs would help Bulgaria overcome difficulties in Brussels. But after securing her appointment, Kuneva completely forgot her commitments to Stanishev and Bulgaria received very severe treatment from the Commission, including a freeze in EU payments because of rampant corruption in offices that get EU funding. This explains why Kuneva and Stanishev have not been on speaking terms for the past two years or so, and why the then Prime Minister was told by a Commissioner that, “…we have a Commissioner from Bulgaria but you don’t have a Bulgarian Commissioner.” Indeed, those in the know remember that besides the King’s pressure, Stanishev was requested by two Members of the European Commission, Franco Frattini from Italy and Olli Rehn from Finland, to appoint Kuneva.
Seeking re-appointment, Kuneva is now playing with new friends though and making the same arguments why she’s the best person for the job and her country. What Borisov seems to be offered in return is the proposition of Kuneva to reportedly close an eye when judging whether there’s corruption and bad practices in the government. This was indirectly implied by Kuneva in statements to the Bulgarian press. This approach may prove highly counterproductive since Borisov is not begging for tolerance from the European Commission but demanding an end to his country’s de-marginalization and to get the role it deserves in European decision-making, and a post other than Consumer Affairs. Indeed, Borisov, as Secretary of the Internal Ministry, the highest administrative positions in matters of internal security, has cut deeply into organized crime in Bulgaria in a matter of months, despite the obstacle set by various politicians, allowing his country to join the European Union.
Kuneva is now trying to approach the center-right European People’s Party, despite the expressed support from the Liberals and its leader, Guy Verhovstadt, who wants her to stay in her seat. To this effect, she participated in the presentation of EPP President Wilfried Martens’ book signing presentation last week in Brussels. Kuneva has to overcome two major obstacles: the nomination by Borisov - provided he succumbs to pressure - and then approval of her appointment by the European Parliament. This may prove to be Mission Impossible because she could have been in the Parliament but rejected it and resigned just to remain a Commissioner for a few more months. But not before making inflammatory statements in the Bulgaria media, that, when are read by the European lawmakers, will make her appointment very unlikely indeed. If that happens, if Borisov proposes Kuneva and Parliament rejects her nomination, then the problem won’t be hers anymore, but Borisov’s because he will lose face and have to nominate a new Commissioner, even if he didn’t want her in the first place.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]