Andrey Novakov

Andrey Grishev Novakov is a Bulgarian politician from the GERB political party and a member of the European parliament (MEP) as part of the political group of the European People's Party EPP. At the time of his entry in service, he was the youngest MEP. He is the initiator and creator of the programme for youth entrepreneurship A.L.E.C.O. (Achieving Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Collaboration Opportunities). He takes the place of Tomislav Donchev, who became Vice-Prime Minister in the second government of GERB in Bulgaria. Novakov is a member of the Committee on Regional Development, substitute-member of the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on budgetary control. He is a laureate of the Forbes magazine ranking "30 under 30" for most successful young people in section "Politics".

On June 4, 2015 he was elected co-chair of the Commission on Sustainable Development in the scope of EUROLAT. On October 6, 2015 the European Parliament approves his report "Novakov", as a result of which Bulgaria receives financial assistance amounting to €6,377,000 in order to cope with the consequences of floods and the severe winter in the same year.

Andrey Novakov is also an author of the report for the allocation of €380.000 for technical assistance to the largest EU fund in support of people who have lost their job – the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund.

Biography

Andrey Novakov was born in Pazardzhik, but grew up in the village of Mominia Klisura, where he studied until his seventh grade in the Primary School of St. "Kliment of Ohrid". He completed his secondary education in the Professional High School of Electrotechnics and Automatics (former "Kirov") in Sofia with profile "Power plants, networks and systems". After that Andrey Novakov moved to Blagoevgrad, where he studied in parallel two majors in Southwest University "Neofit Rilski". In 2011 he acquired a bachelor's degree in "Public Administration", where during the course of his education he studied management and management technologies, theory of governance, local governance etc. In 2014 he acquired a master's degree in "Law" and specialized in the field of legal sciences.

In November 2014 he specialized in the United States of America within a program for young leaders from around the world, which included a placement in the US State Department and the Pentagon.

Professional experience

From 2008 to 2011 he was President of the Student Parliament in the faculty of Law and History of Southwest University "Neofit Rilski" where he was re-elected for a second term. Briefly he was a chief editor of the student newspaper "Vestnikat" ("The Newspaper"). In 2011 he was elected a deputy chairman of the largest student organization in Europe - European Democrat Students, and in 2012 he was the only deputy chairman to be re-elected to his post. From 2011 to 2014 he worked as a public relations expert in the municipality of Blagoevgrad, in the team of the Mayor Dr. Atanas Kambitov. Within the municipal administration he worked actively on topics related to media policy of the municipality and its international activities. As a President of the Student Parliament, he became a member of the GERB political party in Blagoevgrad.

He successively held positions as a regional coordinator of Youth GERB - Blagoevgrad, International Secretary of Youth GERB, and before becoming a MEP, he was also a candidate for member of the Bulgarian parliament from the 1st multi-mandate constituency. In his quality of member of the European parliament, Andrey Novakov was elected as a Rapporteur of the European Parliament on topics related to the effectiveness of the internal water transport in Europe, assessment of the multiannual financial framework, assessment of the youth EU Erasmus + programme, etc. He is also a shadow rapporteur on the draft amendment of the EU budget with regards to territorial and social cohesion, and a number of reports on financial aid to enterprises which suffered from the global economic crisis. He works in the field of youth employment, reducing bureaucracy in the absorption of European funds, the "Juncker" plan, as well as topics related to the EU budget. At the end of 2015 the European Parliament adopted a resolution initiated by Mr Novakov to cut red tape in EU funds with a majority of more than 90% of the vote.