Final Word from Thursday, July 17, 2014
Fifty years ago Věra Jourová was born a female, and half a century later that remains her main qualification for becoming one of Europe's most powerful politicians. She admitted as much yesterday, although she meant it as a joke. There is in fact nothing else in her CV to make her especially qualified to be EU commissioner. Her second-greatest feat was to become development minister, which was made possible by her arrest in 2006 on suspicion of taking a Kč 2m bribe. She was later exonerated to much acclaim, although the matter was never fully explained. If she didn't get the Kč 2m bribe, which "Věra" mentioned on tape was supposed to? It would be nice to be able to write that the CR's EU commissioner made great strides at her ministry toward curbing corruption in EU funding and public procurement, but it simply wouldn't be true. One thing that can be written is that Jourová is indeed very good at being a woman. [Czech Republic European Union résumé regional development ANO]
Glossary of difficult words
feat - a notable act or deed; an act of skill, endurance, imagination or strength;
to exonerate - to absolve someone from blame for a fault or wrongdoing;
acclaim - enthusiastic and public praise;
to make (great) strides - to make progress toward an aim;
to curb - to restrain or keep in check;
public procurement - (in this context) the awarding of public contracts.