The European Liberal Democrat and Reform (ELDR) Party welcomes with great joy the nomination of Mrs Meglena Kuneva as European Commissioner for consumer protection. “Meglena Kuneva has played a pivotal role in bringing Bulgaria into the EU. I have seen her at work over many years and can say that she is a very talented person with an in-depth understanding of the European integration process. Her professional attitude, personal qualities and authority in the European institutions are key assets to make her a highly successful European Commissioner,” stated ELDR party President Annemie Neyts. Commenting on her appointment as European Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva declared: “My outmost conviction is that the modernization of society is something Bulgarians owe above all to themselves. As the Bulgarian Minister for European Affairs, I took great pride and satisfaction in working to make Bulgaria ready for EU accession on 1st January 2007 through liberal reforms and political will. I am very happy to have been designated European Commissioner for consumer protection. This is a domain where the EU has a key role to play to ensure consumers have access to clear and accessible information and can benefit from a genuine freedom of choice.”Meglena Kuneva is an eminent and highly respected member of the European Liberal Democrat political family. She is a member of the liberal party National Movement of Simeon II (NMSS) and was elected Member of Parliament in June 2001. Two months later, in August, she was appointed Deputy Minister and Bulgaria’s Chief Negotiator with the EU at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was appointed Minister of European Affairs and Bulgaria’s Chief Negotiator with the EU and a special representative of the Bulgarian government at the Convention for the Future of Europe in May 2002.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For more information, please contact Myriam Cornillet (mcornillet@eldr.org), 00 32 2 237 01 43 or 00 32 485 99 40 56.