Bulgaria's centre-right GERB Government has named Meglena Ploughchieva, who was deputy prime minister in charge of European Union funds in the Stanishev socialist cabinet, as its choice to be the country's new ambassador to Switzerland.

Her name was among seven announced on March 13 2012 after the Cabinet held its weekly meeting.

Ploughchieva was Bulgaria's ambassador in Berlin before being called back to Sofia to take charge of the use of EU funds, a role she retained until the socialists were defeated in 2009 national parliamentary elections in Bulgaria. Since then, she has been an MP.

Prime Minister Boiko Borissov's Cabinet is in the process of naming new ambassadors as part of a revitalisation of the country's corps of envoys abroad. The process is in part a response to disclosures in 2010 of the large proportion of ambassadors who were linked to the country's former communist-era State Security.

Five of the proposed ambassadors are career diplomats. Nominated to lead the mission in Brazil is Chavdar Nikolov; in Georgia, Plamen Bonchev; in Sweden, Svetlan Stoev; in Argentina, Maxim Gaitandjiev; and in Poland, Vasilii Takev
 
Yambol district governor Tanya Dimitrova has been nominated to head Bulgaria’s diplomatic mission in Croatia.

"These countries are important both in foreign policy, and also as economic and cultural partners of Bulgaria," the Foreign Ministry in Sofia said.

"Achieving concrete results especially in trade, economic relations and investments will be a priority for the newly-nominated ambassadors," the ministry said.