Bulgarian candidate for EU commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva to be heard by EP

Bulgaria's candidate for European Commissioner for Start-ups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, will be heard today by the European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee.

The hearings for the Commissioner candidates, which started on 4 November, last 3 hours, but may be extended to 4 hours in case of additional questions and political agreement. An introductory speech by the candidate is given 15 minutes.

One of Ekaterina Zaharieva's main priorities, as outlined in her letter of motivation, is to increase investment in research and development to 3% of the EU's gross domestic product. According to her, this will be achieved by increasing EU funding, mobilising private capital and developing public-private partnerships.

The new Commission is expected to take office on 1 December.