Following the hearing of Iliana IVANOVA, Commissioner-designate for innovation, research, culture, education and youth, during a joint CULT/ITRE committees meeting, Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Chair of ITRE and Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), Chair of CULT, hold a joint press point. Whenever a member of the European Commission needs to be replaced or there is a significant reassignment of portfolios, Parliament invites the candidates for the new jobs to hearings so that MEPs can evaluate them. Ivanova would be responsible for innovation, research, culture, education and youth, replacing Mariya Gabriel who stepped down in May 2023 to take up a post in the new Bulgarian government. The transcript is the result of an automated process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

press point

VERHEYEN, Sabine (EPP, DE)

BUŞOI, Cristian-Silviu (EPP, RO)

hearing of Commissioners

IVANOVA, Iliana (EPP, BG)

hearing of Iliana IVANOVA 2023 (T)

Press point by Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Chair of ITRE and Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), Chair of CULT, following the hearing of Iliana IVANOVA, Commissioner-designate for innovation, research, culture, education and youth

SOUNDBITE (English), Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), Chair of CULT, Thank you very much. We heard today the hearing of the Commissioner-designated Ivanova, especially for us, from the CULT Committee for the questions of Education, Youth, Culture in Sport. We were very positive how far and how deep she was in the material and has a showed a huge knowledge about the portfolio she has to work on.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), Chair of CULT, She answered the questions in an adequate and excellent way. So, we will look forward to the exchange now with the coordinators not taking before the decision that has to be taken. But, I think we had experienced today an excellent hearing of a Commissioner-designated. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Chair of ITRE, Thank you for being here. On behalf of ITRE Committee, I would like to say that this hearing was extremely important as research and innovation is extremely relevant for the work of ITRE Committee. We need a strong Commissioner, we were excellent with Mariya Gabriel, the former Commissioner.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Chair of ITRE, And the looking to the hearing today and the self-confident, strong leadership, good knowledge of the portfolio and the very good communication skills, I'm sure I'm speaking for myself, but I have very good expectations from the meeting with with the coordinators where we'll decide if we accept or not the nomination.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Chair of ITRE, I'm sure that Mrs. Ivanova will be an excellent Commissioner without a strong involvement in research and innovation. It will be very difficult to advance in being successful in our European agenda, especially to reach the Green Deal objectives and the digital policy objectives.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Chair of ITRE, As Chair, I am just said now will have a meeting with the coordinators from the two Committees and if at least two thirds of the Committee members, represented by the coordinators, will agree that Mrs. Ivanova is fit for the job, then I will make this recommendation to the CCCOP and then to plenary. And she will start as soon as all procedures will be finished.