Rumiana Jeleva was not up to the job

12.00.00am GMT Tue 19th Jan 2010

Andrew Duff MEP (UK, Liberal Democrats), Liberal Democrat spokesman on constitutional affairs and the Constitutional Affairs Committee spokesman on the Commissioners-designate hearings, has welcomed Rumiana Jeleva's withdrawal from consideration as Bulgaria's Commissioner-designate.

Mr Duff said:

"Quite simply, Ms Jeleva was not up to the job. She failed to convince Parliament firstly of her probity and secondly of her competence. A Commissioner is expected to serve for five years and Parliament and the public must have confidence that he or she will do that well. Ms Jeleva was unconvincing: it is right and appropriate that her name has been taken off the table.

"Cabinet appointments at Westminster are not checked in this way. Commission appointments are - putting paid to the frequent accusation from anti-EU people that the Commission is somehow unaccountable and 'faceless'."

Commenting on Ms Jeleva's performance at her Committee hearing, Fiona Hall MEP (North East of England), Leader of the Liberal Democrat MEPs said:

"Rumiana Jeleva showed extraordinary arrogance when she claimed that MEPs were asking the wrong questions. It is the job of MEPs to ask questions of their choosing, and the role of the candidate to answer fully. It is on behalf of the public that the European Parliament questions and approves Commissioners."