On 28 June 2023,c was nominated by Ursula von der Leyen as the new European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Last week she was officially approved for the position by European Parliament.  

A three-hour long hearing was held on September 5 by the Industry, Research and Energy Committee and the Culture and Education Committee to determine if Iliana Ivanova was qualified to take Mariya Gabriel’s seat. Last week, 522 members of parliament voted in support, while 27 members abstained. Ivanova will therefore replace Mariya Gabriel, who resigned from her position as an EU commissioner on May 15 to become the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Bulgaria.  

Since 2013, Iliana Ivanov (Bulgaria) has served as an auditor for the European Court of Auditors. She had previously been a member of the European Parliament (from 2009 to 2012), during which time she served as the deputy chair of the Committee on Budgetary Control.