Mariya Gabriel

Mariya Gabriel
Мария Габриел
Gabriel in 2023
Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria
In office
6 June 2023 – 9 April 2024
Prime MinisterNikolai Denkov
Preceded byAtanas Pekanov
Ivan Demerdzhiev
Hristo Alexiev
Lazar Lazarov
Succeeded byLyudmila Petkova
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
6 June 2023 – 9 April 2024
Prime MinisterNikolai Denkov
Preceded byIvan Kondov
Succeeded byStefan Dimitrov
European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
In office
1 December 2019 – 15 May 2023
On leave: 10 May 2023 – 15 May 2023*
PresidentUrsula von der Leyen
Preceded byTibor Navracsics (Education, Culture, Youth and Sport)
Succeeded byIliana Ivanova
European Commissioner for Digital
Economy and Society
In office
7 July 2017 – 30 November 2019
PresidentJean-Claude Juncker
Preceded byGünther Oettinger
Succeeded byMargrethe Vestager (Digital Age)
Member of the European Parliament
for Bulgaria
In office
14 July 2009 – 6 July 2017
Preceded byNikolay Mladenov
Succeeded byAsim Ademov
Personal details
Born
Mariya Ivanova Nedelcheva

(1979-05-20) 20 May 1979 (age 45)
Hadzhidimovo, PR Bulgaria
Political partyBulgaria Bulgaria: GERB
European Union EU: EPP
Spouse
François Gabriel
(m. 2012)
Children1
EducationPlovdiv University (BA)
Institute of Political Studies, Bordeaux (MA)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • political scientist
*Gabriel's portfolio was split by Schinas and Vestager during her leave and vacancy. When Vestager took her own leave during the vacancy, the rest of the portfolio was given to Schinas in the interim.[1]

Mariya Ivanova Gabriel (Bulgarian: Мария Иванова Габриел; née Nedelcheva, Bulgarian: Неделчева; born 20 May 1979) is a Bulgarian and European politician, president of the Robert Schuman Institute[2][3]. She served as Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2023 to 2024. A member of the GERB party, she previously served as European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth from 2019 to 2023, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society from 2017 to 2019 and Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2017.

In the European Parliament she served as Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP) group, Vice-President of EPP Women and head of the Bulgarian EPP delegation. She was first appointed to the European Commission in 2017 as European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society to fill a spot left vacant by the departure of Kristalina Georgieva. Ms Gabriel left with a mixed record and reputation in Brussels.[4] In particular, she struggled to realize a €415 billion plan to make the EU a global tech hub.[5]

On 22 May 2023, a coalition of GERB and We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) agreed to form a government with two rotating prime ministers, Nikolai Denkov and Gabriel.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Reynders to take over as EU competition chief". 5 September 2023. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  2. ^ Announcement by RSI on their official Facebook page
  3. ^ Bulgaria's Mariya Gabriel Appointed President of the Robert Schumann Institute - article in Novinite.com
  4. ^ "'Party soldier' Mariya Gabriel returns to Bulgaria with EU baggage". POLITICO. 14 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  5. ^ "'Party soldier' Mariya Gabriel returns to Bulgaria with EU baggage". POLITICO. 14 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Bulgaria agrees government with rotating PMs to tackle corruption". POLITICO. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Gabriel set to form Bulgarian government with her party's arch foes". Euractiv. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.