On 2 October 2014, Kristalina Georgieva, Vice-President designate of the EC in charge of Budget and Human Resources, appeared before the Committees on Budgets, on Budgetary Control and on Legal Affairs of the European Parliament for a hearing to test her general competences, European commitment and specific expertise related to her portfolio. Kristalina Georgieva had the opportunity to make an opening statement, she took part to a question and answer session and made a closing statement.Although the Parliament can only vote on the Commission as a whole, a negative assessment of one of the candidates has in the past already led to the candidacy being withdrawn and replaced. In the outgoing Commission, Kristalina Georgieva was in charge of International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.

Brussels

statement

Committee on Budgets

hearing

Committee on Budgetary Control

2014 Commissioners' hearings (T)

GEORGIEVA, Kristalina (BG)

hearing of Kristalina GEORGIEVA (T)

Hearing of Kristalina GEORGIEVA (Bulgaria), Commissioner-designate for Budget and Human Resources: extracts from the statement by Kristalina GEORGIEVA

SOUNDBITE (English), Kristalina GEORGIEVA, Vice-President designate for Budget and Human Resources:, I believe the EU budget has the power to help our recovery and competitiveness and to re-establish our people's trust in Europe as a force for good. We have recently approved MFF 1.000 billion euro for the next 7 years to invest, to deliver jobs and growth and a better quality of live. These are not an abstract numbers. The EU budget has direct impact on the lives of our people. Its means work for some 600.000 who are employed in projects founded by cohesion policy; or for hundreds of thousands more, in business supplying the equipment, or the materials for this work. It means a better chance for employment for 4 million students who will benefit from Erasmus Plus. In my current area of responsibility it means the difference of life and death for victims of natural disasters and conflicts.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kristalina GEORGIEVA, I will take the baton from the current Commissioner and I will strive to successfully complete the budget negotiations for the 2014 amending budgets, for the budget of 2015, so we can start to meltdown the snowball of unpaid bills. I am in my heart convinced that not doing so is a self-inflicted injury. It postpones important programmes that should generate growth and jobs; it makes it more expensive because we have to pay interests. Very unwise use of our tax payers sacrifices, and damage to our credibility and our reputation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kristalina GEORGIEVA, We will have to demonstrate that the EU budget generates not just value for money, but high value for money. This requires further advancement in performance budgeting, and it also requires that we leverage our money much more than in the past, for example by shifting grants we currently provide, part of them to innovative financial instruments. Take the pilot project bond: it's multiplying up to 40 times the investment the EU makes. 40 times! These innovative financial instruments will have a very important role to play in the 300 billion euro investment package that was announced by the President elect in his political guidelines.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kristalina GEORGIEVA, I will support a strong, independent and well respected OLAF to be the guardian that protects the financial interests of the Union. Fraud and abuses on EU funds not only steals from the European tax payers, but it damages the European project as such, and cannot be tolerated.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kristalina GEORGIEVA, First we have to continue to build the attractiveness of the EU career, and to capture the diversity of our people and their experience in the EU. We have to promote excellent men and women, especially since we face retirement of very experienced staff in the next years.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kristalina GEORGIEVA, It is because of these values, I am proud of our Union, and I am very honoured to stand for office to serve it. Thank you.