Ekaterina Spasova Gecheva-Zaharieva

Public record

Compiled from publications and official records as of 23.10.2026. Every statement links to its source; claims made by others are marked as such, with who makes them. Quotations in English are our translation.

Russia

• Meeting Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. As head of the diplomatic service she discussed stepping up economic cooperation with her Russian counterpart – trade, tourism, culture, education, energy and transport – voicing dissatisfaction with the imbalance in bilateral trade. She stressed the importance for Bulgaria of the Balkan Stream project. The ministry she headed noted that this was the first visit by a Bulgarian foreign minister to the Russian capital since 2011; consultations between the two ministries were agreed for the following year. — Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct 2019

Corruption and scandals

• An allegation linked to the Bulgarian passport scheme. Euractiv, as relayed by Yevropeiska Pravda, quotes Katya Mateva, former director of the Citizenship Council, as saying she was dismissed by her as justice minister in 2016 after refusing to take part in the scheme selling certificates of Bulgarian origin. Mateva names her among the most senior figures involved, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Krasimir Karakachanov and the MEP Andrey Kovachev; asked for comment, she and Kovachev said they were surprised. None of the three has been investigated, the outlet notes. During her nomination for European Commissioner, BNR, citing Politico, quoted Nikola Minchev of PP-DB and Renew Europe, whose candidate Yulian Popov had been rejected: in his view the accusations cast a shadow over her candidacy. The radio recalled that she had denied them at the time and faced no consequences. — Yevropeiska Pravda (citing Euractiv), 28 Nov 2018, BNR, 10 Sep 2024
• The Koral case. When she was tipped as caretaker minister of regional development, Bivol claimed that as deputy minister at the regional development ministry responsible for state land she bore direct responsibility for the failure to protect the state's interest: at the end of 2011 the ministry definitively lost two of its three court cases against Tsarevo municipality over an unpaid fee of 20 leva. Later, as deputy prime minister heading the same ministry, she asked Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov to examine the legality of the building permits for 11 properties in the municipality, some of them bordering the beach of that name; a ДНСК (construction control) check had found them issued in substantial breach of the law. — Bivol, 11 Mar 2013, 24 Chasa, 4 Sep 2014