After a confirmation hearing that descended into debacle with European Commissioner-designate Roumyana Zheleva being questioned repeatedly about her business affairs, a situation aggravated by the answers she gave about her plans for her portfolio by dismissed by critics as too vague, European Commission President Jose Barroso and EC lawyers have been asked – in effect – to say whether her nomination should go forward.
 
The January 12 2010 hearing by the development committee of the European Parliament saw critics challenge Zheleva about her alleged failure to comply with EU and Bulgarian rules on disclosure of business interests, allegations that she denies – but sparked open annoyance among committee members in being reluctant to address the issue, describing it as a "waste of time".
 
At the hearing, special leave was given to Antonia Purvanova, head of the EP delegation of Bulgaria’s National Movement for Stability and Progress party and a political rival of Zheleva, to outline the allegations against the candidate, who currently is Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister.
 
After a series of questions about the allegations, an MEP proposed that the committee adjourn the hearing until the facts could be clarified. Instead, representatives of parties in the committee decided later to refer the matter to Barroso and to the EP’s lawyers.
 
Barroso was given 24 hours to say whether there was substance to the allegations that Zheleva had violated EU rules on disclosure.
 
The lawyers will examine the documents lodged in the European Parliament’s records.
 
By the morning of January 13, some Bulgarian-language media were suggesting that the candidacy of Zheleva be withdrawn in favour of Nikolai Mladenov, currently Defence Minister and a former MEP with foreign policy expertise.
 
MEPs from groups that either oppose or have serious reservations about Zheleva, including the Greens, the socialists and the liberals, told journalists that another reason that they had been unimpressed by Zheleva was the vagueness of her answers about what she would do if granted the post to which she has been nominated, that of Commissioner for International Co-operation, Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Response.
 
There was sharp criticism too from her opponents in Bulgarian domestic politics.
 
Ivailo Kalfin, her predecessor as foreign minister and now a socialist MEP, said that Zheleva’s performance at the hearings had been "shameful".
 
Zheleva had failed to disprove the allegations against her about her business affairs, had shown no competence for the job for which she had been nominated, and had spoken English badly, Kalfin said.
 
Andrei Kovachev, an MEP for GERB, Bulgaria’s ruling party led by Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and of which Zheleva is a member, said that there had been a continued and very unfair campaign against the Bulgarian candidate.
 
There was no reason to doubt the word of Zheleva, Kovachev said, adding that it should be enough to persuade Barroso to continue his support for her.
 
The European People’s Party (EPP), the group in the EP of which GERB is a member, also voiced continued public support for Zheleva, saying that she had been "led to the slaughter" in the attacks on her during the hearing.
 
However, Bulgarian National Radio said that behind the scenes, there was division within the EPP about whether to maintain its support for Zheleva.
 
German news agency DPA said that the fact that Barroso and the EP lawyers had been asked officially to look into the allegations against Zheleva was a serious blow to her candidacy.
 
The Greens and the liberals said that they were reserving their positions pending the outcome of the statements that had been requested from Barroso and the lawyers.
 
Media reports consistently have described Zheleva as one of the "weak links" in the Commission that Barroso had proposed to take office in February 2010. However, the rules are that the EP vote on the proposed Commission, scheduled to take place on January 26, is all or nothing – it must either accept or reject the body as a whole, although informally it is possible for the candidacy of a nominee doomed to failure to be requested to be changed.

Bulgarian media were generally frank about how the meeting had gone. "MEPs crucify Roumyana Zheleva," daily Sega headlined its account of proceedings.