|
Moreover, he is suspected of conflict of interest because his wife, Monika Stanisheva, received a huge grant by the European Parliament to promote the institution's activities in Bulgaria. Mrs Stanisheva announced she would return the money she took in advance for the project, but, nonetheless, this casts a serious shadow over Mr Schulz's possibilities to treat Bulgaria without bias, especially given the fact that the country is under the European Commission's monitoring in the area of justice and home affairs. According to the latest report under the mechanism, the Bulgarian authorities have entirely suspended work on the mechanism. After seven years of monitoring, it is more than clear that it needs a review. If Mr Schulz were to become a European Commission chief, it will be a great test for him if he would succumb to pressure by Bulgaria and the PES chairman the mechanism to be cancelled or will he defend the European values and the European citizens, including the Bulgarians, by reforming the mechanism to better reflect the problems in the country and to demand solution. It will also be a test how will he react if Sofia nominated a controversial commissioner.
|