New EU commissioners approved

The European Parliament endorsed on Tuesday the appointment of the European Union (EU)'s two new commissioners from Bulgaria and Romania, who will take up the job in Brussels after their countries join the EU early next year.

The two were approved with overwhelming majority: Meglena Kuneva from Bulgaria received 583 votes, plus 21 against and 28 abstentions, while her Romanian colleague Leonard Orban pulled in 595 votes, plus 16 against and 29 abstentions.

Kuneva, 49, will be the EU commissioner for consumer protection and Orban, 45, will take up the portfolio of multilingualism.

Both had already been approved by parliament committees following exhaustive hearings designed to assess their EU knowledge and their aptitude for the portfolios offered to them.

Kuneva was appointed Bulgaria's first European affairs minister in May, 2002 and as chief negotiator in accession talks with the EU, she is seen as a key player in guiding Bulgaria through difficult negotiations to join the bloc.

Orban was his country's deputy chief negotiator and subsequently chief negotiator with the EU.

Source: Xinhua