Outgoing Bulgarian cabinet backs former EU commissioner Mariya Gabriel for senior UNESCO post

Bulgaria’s outgoing government has formally backed former EU commissioner and ex-foreign minister Mariya Gabriel for the post of deputy director-general of UNESCO, a move that brings her back into the international spotlight after a period of political uncertainty at home, EUalive’s partner investigative outlet BIRD broke the news.

Gabriel has applied for the position overseeing UNESCO’s “Communication and Information” portfolio. The Bulgarian state’s “strong support” for her candidacy was confirmed in an official letter signed on 23 January by the caretaker foreign minister, Georg Georgiev. The document has not yet been made public.

The bid comes after Gabriel largely disappeared from Bulgaria’s political foreground following the collapse of the so-called “rotation” arrangement within the coalition government formed in 2023. Her renewed international ambitions, however, have revived scrutiny of her domestic political legacy and past controversies.

One of the figures involved in promoting Gabriel’s candidacy is Bulgaria’s current ambassador to France and UNESCO, Radka Balabanova-Ruleva, appointed by Gabriel. She is tasked with advancing the application within the organisation, including in contacts with UNESCO’s new Egyptian director-general.

Disputed academic credentials

One of the longest-running controversies surrounding Gabriel relates to her academic background. During the 2009 European Parliament election campaign, Gabriel, then known by her maiden name Mariya Nedelcheva, publicly stated in a party video that she held a doctorate in political science.

This claim was later reflected on her official website as a Member of the European Parliament, where it was stated that she had pursued doctoral studies at the Institute of Political Studies in Bordeaux and the Free University of Brussels between 2003 and 2011.

An investigation by BIRD later found that Gabriel had never defended a doctoral dissertation. Her name does not appear in France’s national theses database, theses.fr, where all completed and defended doctorates are registered. Subsequently, the title “doctor” disappeared from her official biographies during her tenure as a European commissioner, a change that critics interpret as an attempt to avoid requests for documentation that could not be produced.

Municipal housing controversy

Another case that attracted public attention involved Gabriel’s use of a large municipal apartment in Sofia. Investigations by Bulgarian outlet Bivol revealed that for several years she occupied a 128-square-metre city-owned flat in a prestigious district of the capital, paying a monthly rent of around 200 euro.

This arrangement continued during a period when Gabriel was already earning a high salary as a Member of the European Parliament. When the issue became public, she said the apartment had been used only for storing personal belongings and that she had vacated it in 2013.

Subsequent findings contradicted this account, showing that utility bills for the property were paid until 2017. Despite the apparent conflict of interest and use of public resources, Bulgaria’s anti-corruption commission cleared Gabriel, arguing that at the time MEPs were not legally considered public office holders under national law.

International prospects and geopolitical context

Diplomatic sources cited by BIRD suggest that Gabriel’s candidacy may face difficulties within UNESCO, particularly given the controversies linked to her political biography. At the same time, observers note that the “Communication and Information” portfolio has historically been of strategic interest to Russia, which held influence over the area for nearly a decade.

The reporting suggests that Gabriel could attract backing from Russia and allied states, although this remains speculative. The issue gains additional sensitivity against the backdrop of Bulgaria’s broader political landscape and debates over external influence.

A record of missed appointments

Gabriel’s UNESCO bid follows a series of unsuccessful attempts to secure senior international positions. In May 2025, she was nominated by Bulgaria’s GERB party for a vice-presidency of the European People’s Party but was not elected. Earlier, she was also considered for a deputy secretary-general role at NATO, which did not materialise.

Most recently, Gabriel served as president of the Robert Schuman Institute, an EPP-affiliated political education and training organisation based in Budapest. In December 2025 she was elected EPP Women president.

UNESCO has previously been led by a Bulgarian national. Irina Bokova served as director-general of the organisation from 2009 to 2017, a period often cited domestically as a benchmark for Bulgaria’s representation at the highest levels of international institutions.

The full article, published by BIRD in English, can be found here.

Caption: President of the Robert Schuman Institute and former European Commissioner, Mariya Gabriel, attends ‘The Lisbon Conference: Europe and Transatlantic Relations’ in Lisbon, Portugal, 16 June 2025. EPA/ANTONIO COTRIM