Bulgarian UNESCO head elected despite EU disunity[fr][de] 

Irina Bokova, a Bulgarian career diplomat who is Sofia's ambassador to France, said her country had gained international clout since joining the EU in January 2007. 

However she said that at all stages of the process, she had remained Bulgaria's candidate and never reached the status of common EU candidate for the top job. 

Bokova was elected as UNESCO director-general in an unprecedented marathon five rounds of voting, lasting from 7 to 22 September (EurActiv 23/09/09). 

In the early stages of the voting procedure, three women from EU countries were competing for the job with several other candidates from other regions of the world. 

When Austria's EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner was outvoted in the third round, Bokova said she called on those countries supporting the Austrian to give her their vote as she was the only remaining candidate from an EU member country. 

But France did not vote for Bokova in the secret ballot, according to French news agency AFP, preferring instead to back Egyptian candidate Faruq Hosni, who ultimately lost to Bokova by 31 to 27 votes. 

Jean-Christophe Cambadelis of the Socialist party in France described Bokova's election as "a snub" for French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "Refusing to support a European in the name of personal diplomacy is neither just nor appropriate," Cambadelis said in a statement. Some French media suggested that Paris was motivated by ambitions to sell military equipment to the Arab country. 

However, Bokova has no hard feelings over the matter. In her interview with EurActiv, she praised France at length for the "support and friendship" she had received "as bilateral ambassador". A strong promoter of the French language, she indicated her determination to push for "linguistic balance" between English and French at UNESCO. 

To read the interview in full, please click here.