Leonard Orban
Encyclopedia
Leonard Orban is a Romanian
independent technocrat
who served as the Commissioner for Multilingualism in the European Commission
, the executive body of the European Union
(EU). He was responsible for the EU language policy
and was the first Romanian Commissioner and the first member of the Commission
whose portfolio is exclusively multilingualism
. His term of office began on January 1, 2007 and ended on February 9, 2010. With a background in engineering
and economics
, Orban has taken up various posts working for the accession of Romania to the European Union, most prominently as Deputy and later as Chief Negotiator for his country at the time of final negotiations with the European Union.
Steering the multilingualism language policy
of the EU, Orban focused on promoting foreign language learning through EU programmes such as the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013
. In addition, his remit also included the effective functioning of the EU's extensive interpretation
, translation
and publication services
in the 23 official languages. To support the remit of his portfolio, Orban oversaw a staff of 3,400 in total (approximately 15 per cent of the Brussels executive's workforce) and approximately 1 per cent of the EU budget.
Though unaffiliated to any political party, Orban adheres to liberalism
. He supports Romania's closer European integration
and a strong European Union, and were in favour of the relaunch of the frozen Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
without modifications to the original text.
As of 20 September 2011, he is the Romanian Minister of European Affairs, a new ministry in the Emil Boc
Cabinet.
, central Romania
, to a Hungarian
father and a Romanian
mother. His brother, Ludovic Orban
, a prominent politician of Romania's National Liberal Party
, was Romania's Transport Minister. He is married and has a daughter, and his personal interests range across foreign policy
, classical music
, reading and cinema
.
Orban gained a bachelor's degree
(1981–1986) in engineering
at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Transylvania University of Braşov
, and a bachelor's degree (1987–1992) in economics
at the Faculty of Management, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies. Alongside Romanian
, he is also fluent in English and French and has passive knowledge of Italian.
Between 1986 and 1993, he worked as engineer for Tractor Manufacturing Company Miercurea Ciuc (1986–1989, Romanian: Întreprinderea de Tractoare Miercurea Ciuc), Enterprise for Special Industrial Constructions Bucharest (1989–1990, Romanian: Întreprinderea de Antrepriza Construcţii Speciale Industriale şi Montaj (I.A.C.S.I.M.) Bucureşti) and Institute of Research for Machine Manufacturing Technology Bucharest (1990–1993, Romanian: Institutul de Cercetare Tehnologia Construcţiilor de Maşini (I.C.T.C.M.) Bucureşti).
of the Romanian Parliament
, where he was responsible for the European Integration Committee, as well as relations with the European Parliament. In 1995, the Association Agreement between the EU and Romania came into force and Orban also dealt with the Secretariat of the Joint Parliamentary Committee EU-Romania. Between May 2001 and December 2004, he served as Deputy Chief Negotiator and from December 2004 to December 2006, as Chief Negotiator with the EU and as Secretary of State of the Ministry of European Integration of Romania
, directly responsible for coordinating Romania's preparation for accession to the EU, as well as drafting the Treaty of Accession
. On April 25, 2005, together with the Romanian president Traian Băsescu
, the Romanian prime minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
and the Romanian foreign minister Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
, Orban was one of the signatories for Romania on the country's Treaty of Accession in Luxembourg
. After the signing of the Treaty, when Romania received the status of the observer in the Council of the European Union
and in the Commission's committees, Orban was responsible for coordinating Romania's policies and positions in EU affairs. On October 30, 2006, Orban was nominated as Romania's candidate for the European Commission. From January 1, 2007, Orban became European Commissioner for Multilingualism for Romania in the Barroso commission
. He wrote numerous newspaper articles and analyses and gave several speeches on European affairs.
Orban has not joined a political party, but is of liberal
political leaning. He participated as an independent in the European Parliament political group Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
(ALDE).
, i.e. promoting multilingualism
for the citizens and the institutions of the European Union
. He was the first to hold this portfolio. Multilingualism has previously and subsequently been a responsibility of the European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism, Ján Figeľ
, the first Commissioner whose portfolio explicitly included multilingualism.
Politically, the portfolio is focused on promoting foreign languages learning, specifically, an individual's mother tongue plus two other languages, as means for the worker’s mobility and business competitiveness
.
Though awareness for linguistic diversity is a policy target, the language rights of speakers of regional
, minority
, lesser-used and migrant languages are not legally protected. In the European Union, language policy
is the responsibility of member states and European Union does not have a "common language policy." Based on the "principle of subsidiarity
", European Union institutions play a supporting role in this field, promoting cooperation between the member states and promoting the European dimension in their language policies, particularly through the teaching and dissemination of their languages. The content of educational systems is the responsibility of individual member states and the European Union has very limited influence in this area. However, a number of European Union funded programmes actively promote language learning, most prominently under the much wider Lifelong learning Programme 2007–2013
. Though regional and minority languages can benefit from European Union programmes, protection of linguistic rights is a matter for the member states.
Orban was also responsible for the effective functioning of the European Union's extensive interpretation, translation
and publication
services in the 23 official languages of the Union. Language policy affects the overall European Union strategy of communication with its citizens and the effort to establish a European identity. In many of these issues, responsibility was shared with other Commissioners, namely the European Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture, Ján Figeľ. Orban was also responsible, alongside the President of the Commission
, Barroso, and Figeľ to work on "intercultural dialogue", including the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue
.
Administratively, Orban was in charge of the Directorate-General (DG) for Translation
, the DG for Interpretation
and the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
, as well as the Multilingualism policy unit (EAC-C-5) in the DG for Education and Culture
. In total, Orban is responsible for overseeing 3,400 staff (approximately 15 per cent of the Brussels executive's workforce) and approximately 1 per cent of the EU budget.
Orban was assisted by a cabinet of nine members; Patricia Bugnot (French) was Head of Cabinet and Jochen Richter (German) was Deputy Head. The cabinet did not include any natively anglophone
member. Orban's salary was €18,233.38 (approx. US$ 23,631, c.2007) a month plus housing allowance.
. Compared to former enlargements of the European Union
, the Accession Treaty for Bulgaria and Romania, for the first time, contains an explicit acknowledgement of the Parliament’s role and constitutes the formal legal basis for the new Commissioners’ appointment procedure.
On October 30, 2006, in agreement with the President of the Commission, Barroso, the Romanian government nominated Leonard Orban as Commissioner designate for Romania. Barroso assigned him the portfolio of multilingualism. Before Orban, Varujan Vosganian
, a former Romanian National Liberal Party
Minister of Economy and Commerce, had been nominated, but withdrew his candidature due to allegations concerning his past involvement with the secret police under Ceauşescu
and party financing by a tycoon. National Liberal Party foreign minister Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
refused a nomination.
The assignment of the multilingualism portfolio to the Romanian Commissioner by Barroso was highly controversial. Barroso was severely criticized for creating a new Commissioner portfolio so that the accessing countries in 2007 could hold a post. The portfolio was criticized for being too "light" for such a high-rank official, that there would be an overlap of responsibilities with other Commissioners and the good functioning of the Commission would be endangered. The portfolio was considered insubstantial for a Commissioner due to the limited jurisdiction of the EU in affecting language policy and the more administrative (rather than political character) of the post. In addition, it appeared that the portfolio had been created to complete a 27-strong Commission; Romania's appointment of a technocrat rather than a politician, given the country's deficits in interior and justice policies, especially in terms of corruption, would result in the Romanian Commissioner taking a degraded portfolio. This criticism came from the Social Democratic Party
(PSD), Romania's main opposition party, the Socialist Group
(PES) in the European Parliament and the liberal Financial Times
newspaper. Socialist Group leader, Martin Schulz
, suggested a portfolio for the protection of ethnic minorities instead. The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament asked Barroso to clarify the mandate of the Commissioner for Multilingualism as well as the mandate of the other members of the Commission with regards to the "intercultural dialogue". Barroso turned down the PES proposal and defended the post. He stated that Ján Figeľ, the Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture, "will remain responsible for the management of actions to directly promote the inter-cultural dialogue".
After a public hearing in Brussels at the Committee on Culture and Education
(CULT) of the European Parliament in participation with the Committee on Constitutional Affairs
(AFCO) on November 27, 2006, the Committee gave a positive assessment. On December 12, 2006, Orban received the formal approval of the European Parliament in Strasbourg
with 595 votes in favour, 16 against and 29 abstentions. The Socialist Group voted for Orban, laying the blame for the portfolio's mandate on the President of the Commission rather than the Commissioner designate. On January 1, 2007, he was appointed by the Council and on January 22, 2007, in a ceremony in Luxembourg
, Orban was sworn in before the European Court of Justice
.
Orban held the position of European Commissioner until October 31, 2009, when the remaining term of office for the Barroso Commission ends.
Orban said that he intended to spearhead the Commission's work on a portfolio that has become more important with every enlargement
and assured the Members of the European Parliament
that his portfolio was a substantial one, covering a range of important political and managerial responsibilities. He also described how his portforlio would contribute to economic competitiveness
, the social dimension of the EU and the intercultural dialogue and stated that it would provide a forum for European political dialogue.
Orban told the Committee that the multilingual dimension of the EU must be made mainstream in all relevant EU policies and programmes and should not be seen as a separate, isolated policy. He stated that, "Politically, I will steer the Commission's work on bringing an active multilingualism policy into a variety of policies which are the key to the functioning of the EU and the internal market
: culture
, education
and competitiveness." In addition, he claimed that multilingualism would be commercially advantageous as, "At first sight, one single language might appear easier to manage [... but] multilingualism can also give any industry a competitive advantage if it helps them to tap local markets and create new products which also cater for multilingualism." According to Orban, multilingualism promotes labour mobility, tolerance
and a sense of European citizenship and, as an integral aspect of the legitimacy, transparency and democracy of the European integration, it contributes to a successful EU communication policy. Within the Lisbon strategy
, the target for foreign language learning is “mother tongue plus two,” which means that English language skills on their own are not sufficient. To address this, Orban aims to improve language teaching and to make the media and new communication technologies
more language-friendly. He underlined that, "our efforts to support multilingualism are not limited to EU languages; we are also encouraging training in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic
, Turkish
and Russian." He added that, "The promotion of language learning and linguistic diversity is a general objective of the new programme for lifelong learning launched in 2007
. For the first time, it will be open to all languages spoken in the European Union as well as to the languages of the EU's main trading partners." Orban claims that respect for linguistic diversity and the fight against discrimination
on the basis of language are cornerstones for a social Europe; he states that, "Europe's linguistic and cultural diversity
is a source of richness which also needs to be nurtured and promoted," which presumably includes all languages, national
, regional
, minority
and migrant. However, Orban agreed that the protection of language rights was a matter for individual member states and his view is that, "When it comes to language rights, I am not in favour of adopting legislation at European level to be imposed on Member States."
Orban's remit included the development of the European Indicator of Language Competence, the creation of a Business Forum on Multilingualism and Juvenes Translatores, a translation
contest between schools from all over Europe as part of the events marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome
. In addition to the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 and other educational and cultural programmes, Orban promoted multilingualism within other relevant policies and programmes, including the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, the European Social Fund
and immigration
initiatives. He also intended to contribute to the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, where multilingualism played a fundamental part. On planning further policy, Orban promised to, "carefully analyse the results from the Action Plan for the promotion of language learning and linguistic diversity, the recommendations from the High Level Group on Multilingualism and the activities of the Commission internal network for multilingualism. Before the end of 2007, I would organise a Ministerial conference
to discuss the way forward. I would then propose a new Action Plan in 2008 to continue work in this area."
His views on multilingualism fall in line with the current European Union language policy as described in the Communication from the Commission "A New Framework Strategy for Multilingualism" on November 22, 2005.
On the "future of Europe", Orban believes in a strong, cohesive European Union capable of being a major actor on the global scene. In addition, he stressed the need to increase the pace of the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy
, a ten-year strategy designed to make the European Union the world's most competitive economy by 2010. Institutionally, he supported the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
, voted down in referendums in France and Netherlands in 2005, believing that it should be ratified by the member states without further negotiations or without excluding some of its provisions.
|-
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
independent technocrat
Technocracy (bureaucratic)
Technocracy is a form of government where technical experts are in control of decision making in their respective fields. Economists, engineers, scientists, health professionals, and those who have knowledge, expertise or skills would compose the governing body...
who served as the Commissioner for Multilingualism in the European Commission
Barroso Commission
The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 2014. Its president is José Manuel Barroso, who presides over 26 other commissioners...
, the executive body of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(EU). He was responsible for the EU language policy
Languages of the European Union
The languages of the European Union are languages used by people within the member states of the European Union. They include the twenty-three official languages of the European Union along with a range of others...
and was the first Romanian Commissioner and the first member of the Commission
European Commissioner
A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission...
whose portfolio is exclusively multilingualism
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
. His term of office began on January 1, 2007 and ended on February 9, 2010. With a background in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, Orban has taken up various posts working for the accession of Romania to the European Union, most prominently as Deputy and later as Chief Negotiator for his country at the time of final negotiations with the European Union.
Steering the multilingualism language policy
Language policy
Many countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. Although nations historically have used language policies most often to promote one official language at the expense of others, many countries now have policies designed to...
of the EU, Orban focused on promoting foreign language learning through EU programmes such as the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013
EU Integrated programme
The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 is the European Union programme for education and training. It has succeeded the SOCRATES programme...
. In addition, his remit also included the effective functioning of the EU's extensive interpretation
Directorate-General for Interpretation (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Interpretation is a Directorate-General of the European Commission...
, translation
Directorate-General for Translation (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Translation , located in Brussels and Luxembourg, provides translation of written text into and out of the European Union's twenty-three official languages. With an annual output of about 1.5 million pages, it is the largest translation service in the world, employing...
and publication services
Publications Office (European Union)
The Publications Office of the European Union is an interinstitutional office whose task is to publish the publications of the institutions of the European Communities and the European Union ....
in the 23 official languages. To support the remit of his portfolio, Orban oversaw a staff of 3,400 in total (approximately 15 per cent of the Brussels executive's workforce) and approximately 1 per cent of the EU budget.
Though unaffiliated to any political party, Orban adheres to liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. He supports Romania's closer European integration
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
and a strong European Union, and were in favour of the relaunch of the frozen Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , , was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union...
without modifications to the original text.
As of 20 September 2011, he is the Romanian Minister of European Affairs, a new ministry in the Emil Boc
Emil Boc
Emil Boc is the Prime Minister of Romania, having served since December 2008. In June 2004, he was elected Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania. Boc is also the president of the Democratic Liberal Party, who designated him as Prime Minister in 2008. On October 13, 2009, his...
Cabinet.
Early years and personal life
Orban was born in BraşovBrasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
, central Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, to a Hungarian
Hungarians in Romania
The Hungarian minority of Romania is the largest ethnic minority in Romania, consisting of 1,431,807 people and making up 6.6% of the total population, according to the 2002 census....
father and a Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
mother. His brother, Ludovic Orban
Ludovic Orban
Ludovic Orban is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party , he was Minister of Transport from April 2007 to December 2008 in the second Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu cabinet. He has also been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Bucharest since 2008.He and...
, a prominent politician of Romania's National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Romania)
The National Liberal Party , abbreviated to PNL, is a centre-right liberal party in Romania. It is the third-largest party in the Romanian Parliament, with 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 22 in the Senate: behind the centre-right Democratic Liberal Party and the centre-left Social...
, was Romania's Transport Minister. He is married and has a daughter, and his personal interests range across foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
, classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, reading and cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
.
Orban gained a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
(1981–1986) in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Transylvania University of Braşov
Transylvania University of Brasov
Transylvania University is a state institution of higher education in Braşov, Romania which, by "offering education, scientific research and the number of students is one of the great universities of Romania, the representative of the region and university 7 Center" .It has sixteen faculties, a...
, and a bachelor's degree (1987–1992) in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the Faculty of Management, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies. Alongside Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
, he is also fluent in English and French and has passive knowledge of Italian.
Between 1986 and 1993, he worked as engineer for Tractor Manufacturing Company Miercurea Ciuc (1986–1989, Romanian: Întreprinderea de Tractoare Miercurea Ciuc), Enterprise for Special Industrial Constructions Bucharest (1989–1990, Romanian: Întreprinderea de Antrepriza Construcţii Speciale Industriale şi Montaj (I.A.C.S.I.M.) Bucureşti) and Institute of Research for Machine Manufacturing Technology Bucharest (1990–1993, Romanian: Institutul de Cercetare Tehnologia Construcţiilor de Maşini (I.C.T.C.M.) Bucureşti).
Working for European affairs
From 1993 to 2001, Orban served as a Parliamentary Counsellor on European and International Affairs within the Chamber of DeputiesChamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
of the Romanian Parliament
Parliament of Romania
The Parliament of Romania is made up of two chambers:*The Chamber of Deputies*The SenatePrior to the modifications of the Constitution in 2003, the two houses had identical attributes. A text of a law had to be approved by both houses...
, where he was responsible for the European Integration Committee, as well as relations with the European Parliament. In 1995, the Association Agreement between the EU and Romania came into force and Orban also dealt with the Secretariat of the Joint Parliamentary Committee EU-Romania. Between May 2001 and December 2004, he served as Deputy Chief Negotiator and from December 2004 to December 2006, as Chief Negotiator with the EU and as Secretary of State of the Ministry of European Integration of Romania
Ministry of European Integration of Romania
thumb|left|The logo of the [[Romania]]n Ministry of European IntegrationThe Ministry of European Integration of Romania was a Romanian government ministry existing between 2000 and 2007...
, directly responsible for coordinating Romania's preparation for accession to the EU, as well as drafting the Treaty of Accession
Treaty of Accession 2005
The Treaty of Accession 2005 is an agreement between the member states of European Union and Bulgaria and Romania. It entered into force on 1 January 2007. The Treaty arranged accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU and amended earlier Treaties of the European Union...
. On April 25, 2005, together with the Romanian president Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
, the Romanian prime minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
Calin Popescu-Tariceanu
Călin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tăriceanu is a Romanian politician. He was the Prime Minister of Romania between 29 December 2004 and 22 December 2008...
and the Romanian foreign minister Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
Mihai Razvan Ungureanu
Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu is a Romanian historian, diplomat and politician. He was the foreign minister of Romania from December 28, 2004 to March 12, 2007...
, Orban was one of the signatories for Romania on the country's Treaty of Accession in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
. After the signing of the Treaty, when Romania received the status of the observer in the Council of the European Union
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
and in the Commission's committees, Orban was responsible for coordinating Romania's policies and positions in EU affairs. On October 30, 2006, Orban was nominated as Romania's candidate for the European Commission. From January 1, 2007, Orban became European Commissioner for Multilingualism for Romania in the Barroso commission
Barroso Commission
The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 2014. Its president is José Manuel Barroso, who presides over 26 other commissioners...
. He wrote numerous newspaper articles and analyses and gave several speeches on European affairs.
Orban has not joined a political party, but is of liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
political leaning. He participated as an independent in the European Parliament political group Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is a transnational alliance between two European political parties: the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and the European Democratic Party. It has political groups in the European Parliament, the EU Committee of the Regions, the...
(ALDE).
Portfolio as European Commissioner
As European Commissioner for Multilingualism in the Barroso Commission, Orban was responsible for the language policy of the European UnionLanguages of the European Union
The languages of the European Union are languages used by people within the member states of the European Union. They include the twenty-three official languages of the European Union along with a range of others...
, i.e. promoting multilingualism
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
for the citizens and the institutions of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. He was the first to hold this portfolio. Multilingualism has previously and subsequently been a responsibility of the European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism, Ján Figeľ
Ján Figel
Ján Figeľ is a Slovakian politician, previously European Commissioner for Education, Training & Culture. His area of responsibility also covered sport, youth, and relations with civil society.-Early career:...
, the first Commissioner whose portfolio explicitly included multilingualism.
Politically, the portfolio is focused on promoting foreign languages learning, specifically, an individual's mother tongue plus two other languages, as means for the worker’s mobility and business competitiveness
Competitiveness
Competitiveness is a comparative concept of the ability and performance of a firm, sub-sector or country to sell and supply goods and/or services in a given market...
.
Though awareness for linguistic diversity is a policy target, the language rights of speakers of regional
Regional language
A regional language is a language spoken in an area of a nation state, whether it be a small area, a federal state or province, or some wider area....
, minority
Minority language
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities.-International politics:...
, lesser-used and migrant languages are not legally protected. In the European Union, language policy
Language policy
Many countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. Although nations historically have used language policies most often to promote one official language at the expense of others, many countries now have policies designed to...
is the responsibility of member states and European Union does not have a "common language policy." Based on the "principle of subsidiarity
Subsidiarity
Subsidiarity is an organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. The Oxford English Dictionary defines subsidiarity as the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which...
", European Union institutions play a supporting role in this field, promoting cooperation between the member states and promoting the European dimension in their language policies, particularly through the teaching and dissemination of their languages. The content of educational systems is the responsibility of individual member states and the European Union has very limited influence in this area. However, a number of European Union funded programmes actively promote language learning, most prominently under the much wider Lifelong learning Programme 2007–2013
EU Integrated programme
The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 is the European Union programme for education and training. It has succeeded the SOCRATES programme...
. Though regional and minority languages can benefit from European Union programmes, protection of linguistic rights is a matter for the member states.
Orban was also responsible for the effective functioning of the European Union's extensive interpretation, translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
and publication
Publication
To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...
services in the 23 official languages of the Union. Language policy affects the overall European Union strategy of communication with its citizens and the effort to establish a European identity. In many of these issues, responsibility was shared with other Commissioners, namely the European Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture, Ján Figeľ. Orban was also responsible, alongside the President of the Commission
President of the European Commission
The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed...
, Barroso, and Figeľ to work on "intercultural dialogue", including the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue
European Year of Intercultural Dialogue
Intercultural dialogue has long been a principle supported by the European Union and its Institutions. The year 2008 was designated "European Year of Intercultural Dialogue" by the European Parliament and the Member States of the European Union...
.
Administratively, Orban was in charge of the Directorate-General (DG) for Translation
Directorate-General for Translation (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Translation , located in Brussels and Luxembourg, provides translation of written text into and out of the European Union's twenty-three official languages. With an annual output of about 1.5 million pages, it is the largest translation service in the world, employing...
, the DG for Interpretation
Directorate-General for Interpretation (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Interpretation is a Directorate-General of the European Commission...
and the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
Publications Office (European Union)
The Publications Office of the European Union is an interinstitutional office whose task is to publish the publications of the institutions of the European Communities and the European Union ....
, as well as the Multilingualism policy unit (EAC-C-5) in the DG for Education and Culture
Directorate-General for Education and Culture (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Education and Culture is a Directorate-General of the European Commission.The Education and Culture Directorate-General’s mission has three main aspects:* Building a Europe of knowledge...
. In total, Orban is responsible for overseeing 3,400 staff (approximately 15 per cent of the Brussels executive's workforce) and approximately 1 per cent of the EU budget.
Orban was assisted by a cabinet of nine members; Patricia Bugnot (French) was Head of Cabinet and Jochen Richter (German) was Deputy Head. The cabinet did not include any natively anglophone
English-speaking world
The English-speaking world consists of those countries or regions that use the English language to one degree or another. For more information, please see:Lists:* List of countries by English-speaking population...
member. Orban's salary was €18,233.38 (approx. US$ 23,631, c.2007) a month plus housing allowance.
Appointment procedure
According to Article 45 of the protocol to the Accession Treaty of Bulgaria and Romania, the new members of the Commission representing the acceding member states were appointed by the Council of the European Union in common accord with the President of the Commission and after consultation with the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. Compared to former enlargements of the European Union
Enlargement of the European Union
The Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union through the accession of new member states. This process began with the Inner Six, who founded the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952...
, the Accession Treaty for Bulgaria and Romania, for the first time, contains an explicit acknowledgement of the Parliament’s role and constitutes the formal legal basis for the new Commissioners’ appointment procedure.
On October 30, 2006, in agreement with the President of the Commission, Barroso, the Romanian government nominated Leonard Orban as Commissioner designate for Romania. Barroso assigned him the portfolio of multilingualism. Before Orban, Varujan Vosganian
Varujan Vosganian
Varujan Vosganian is a Romanian politician, economist, essayist and poet. A member of the National Liberal Party, Vosganian was Romania's Minister of Economy and Commerce in the Tăriceanu cabinet.-Biography:...
, a former Romanian National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Romania)
The National Liberal Party , abbreviated to PNL, is a centre-right liberal party in Romania. It is the third-largest party in the Romanian Parliament, with 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 22 in the Senate: behind the centre-right Democratic Liberal Party and the centre-left Social...
Minister of Economy and Commerce, had been nominated, but withdrew his candidature due to allegations concerning his past involvement with the secret police under Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
and party financing by a tycoon. National Liberal Party foreign minister Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
Mihai Razvan Ungureanu
Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu is a Romanian historian, diplomat and politician. He was the foreign minister of Romania from December 28, 2004 to March 12, 2007...
refused a nomination.
The assignment of the multilingualism portfolio to the Romanian Commissioner by Barroso was highly controversial. Barroso was severely criticized for creating a new Commissioner portfolio so that the accessing countries in 2007 could hold a post. The portfolio was criticized for being too "light" for such a high-rank official, that there would be an overlap of responsibilities with other Commissioners and the good functioning of the Commission would be endangered. The portfolio was considered insubstantial for a Commissioner due to the limited jurisdiction of the EU in affecting language policy and the more administrative (rather than political character) of the post. In addition, it appeared that the portfolio had been created to complete a 27-strong Commission; Romania's appointment of a technocrat rather than a politician, given the country's deficits in interior and justice policies, especially in terms of corruption, would result in the Romanian Commissioner taking a degraded portfolio. This criticism came from the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
(PSD), Romania's main opposition party, the Socialist Group
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The...
(PES) in the European Parliament and the liberal Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
newspaper. Socialist Group leader, Martin Schulz
Martin Schulz
Martin Schulz is a German politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Social Democratic Party of Germany, since 2004 leader of the Socialists in the European Parliament .-Career:* 1975-1977: Apprentice...
, suggested a portfolio for the protection of ethnic minorities instead. The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament asked Barroso to clarify the mandate of the Commissioner for Multilingualism as well as the mandate of the other members of the Commission with regards to the "intercultural dialogue". Barroso turned down the PES proposal and defended the post. He stated that Ján Figeľ, the Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture, "will remain responsible for the management of actions to directly promote the inter-cultural dialogue".
After a public hearing in Brussels at the Committee on Culture and Education
Committee on Culture and Education
The Committee on Culture and Education is a committee of the European Parliament.- Responsibilities of the Committee :This committee has focused on the well-being of all members of the human race and the increased opportunities for education in all countries of the European Union...
(CULT) of the European Parliament in participation with the Committee on Constitutional Affairs
Committee on Constitutional Affairs
The Committee on Constitutional Affairs is a committee of the European Parliament dealing with institutional matters such as the treaties and the Parliament's rules of procedure. As of 2008, it is chaired by Jo Leinen MEP .-External links:*...
(AFCO) on November 27, 2006, the Committee gave a positive assessment. On December 12, 2006, Orban received the formal approval of the European Parliament in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
with 595 votes in favour, 16 against and 29 abstentions. The Socialist Group voted for Orban, laying the blame for the portfolio's mandate on the President of the Commission rather than the Commissioner designate. On January 1, 2007, he was appointed by the Council and on January 22, 2007, in a ceremony in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, Orban was sworn in before the European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
.
Orban held the position of European Commissioner until October 31, 2009, when the remaining term of office for the Barroso Commission ends.
Views on multilingualism
In his hearing at the European Parliament, Leonard Orban focused on defending the importance of his post in presenting the EU language policy, emphasising foreign language learning and describing the concrete initiatives he intended to implement.Orban said that he intended to spearhead the Commission's work on a portfolio that has become more important with every enlargement
Enlargement of the European Union
The Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union through the accession of new member states. This process began with the Inner Six, who founded the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952...
and assured the Members of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
that his portfolio was a substantial one, covering a range of important political and managerial responsibilities. He also described how his portforlio would contribute to economic competitiveness
Competitiveness
Competitiveness is a comparative concept of the ability and performance of a firm, sub-sector or country to sell and supply goods and/or services in a given market...
, the social dimension of the EU and the intercultural dialogue and stated that it would provide a forum for European political dialogue.
Orban told the Committee that the multilingual dimension of the EU must be made mainstream in all relevant EU policies and programmes and should not be seen as a separate, isolated policy. He stated that, "Politically, I will steer the Commission's work on bringing an active multilingualism policy into a variety of policies which are the key to the functioning of the EU and the internal market
Internal market
An internal market operates inside an organization or set of organizations which have decoupled internal components. Each component trades its services and interfaces with the others. Often a set of government or government-funded set of organizations will operate an internal market...
: culture
Cultural policies of the European Union
European Union culture policies aim to address and promote the cultural dimension of European integration through relevant legislation and government funding...
, education
Education in the European Union
In the European Union education is the responsibility of Member States; European Union institutions play a supporting role. According to Art. 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the Community through actions such as promoting the mobility of citizens, designing joint study...
and competitiveness." In addition, he claimed that multilingualism would be commercially advantageous as, "At first sight, one single language might appear easier to manage [... but] multilingualism can also give any industry a competitive advantage if it helps them to tap local markets and create new products which also cater for multilingualism." According to Orban, multilingualism promotes labour mobility, tolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
and a sense of European citizenship and, as an integral aspect of the legitimacy, transparency and democracy of the European integration, it contributes to a successful EU communication policy. Within the Lisbon strategy
Lisbon Strategy
The Lisbon Strategy, also known as the Lisbon Agenda or Lisbon Process, was an action and development plan devised in 2000, for the economy of the European Union between 2000 and 2010....
, the target for foreign language learning is “mother tongue plus two,” which means that English language skills on their own are not sufficient. To address this, Orban aims to improve language teaching and to make the media and new communication technologies
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
more language-friendly. He underlined that, "our efforts to support multilingualism are not limited to EU languages; we are also encouraging training in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and Russian." He added that, "The promotion of language learning and linguistic diversity is a general objective of the new programme for lifelong learning launched in 2007
EU Integrated programme
The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 is the European Union programme for education and training. It has succeeded the SOCRATES programme...
. For the first time, it will be open to all languages spoken in the European Union as well as to the languages of the EU's main trading partners." Orban claims that respect for linguistic diversity and the fight against discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
on the basis of language are cornerstones for a social Europe; he states that, "Europe's linguistic and cultural diversity
Cultural diversity
Cultural diversity is having different cultures respect each other's differences. It could also mean the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole...
is a source of richness which also needs to be nurtured and promoted," which presumably includes all languages, national
National language
A national language is a language which has some connection—de facto or de jure—with a people and perhaps by extension the territory they occupy. The term is used variously. A national language may for instance represent the national identity of a nation or country...
, regional
Regional language
A regional language is a language spoken in an area of a nation state, whether it be a small area, a federal state or province, or some wider area....
, minority
Minority language
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities.-International politics:...
and migrant. However, Orban agreed that the protection of language rights was a matter for individual member states and his view is that, "When it comes to language rights, I am not in favour of adopting legislation at European level to be imposed on Member States."
Orban's remit included the development of the European Indicator of Language Competence, the creation of a Business Forum on Multilingualism and Juvenes Translatores, a translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
contest between schools from all over Europe as part of the events marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome
Treaty of Rome
The Treaty of Rome, officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, was an international agreement that led to the founding of the European Economic Community on 1 January 1958. It was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany...
. In addition to the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 and other educational and cultural programmes, Orban promoted multilingualism within other relevant policies and programmes, including the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, the European Social Fund
European Social Fund
The European Social Fund is the European Union’s main financial instrument for supporting employment in the Member States as well as promoting economic and social cohesion. ESF spending amounts to around 10% of the EU’s total budget....
and immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
initiatives. He also intended to contribute to the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, where multilingualism played a fundamental part. On planning further policy, Orban promised to, "carefully analyse the results from the Action Plan for the promotion of language learning and linguistic diversity, the recommendations from the High Level Group on Multilingualism and the activities of the Commission internal network for multilingualism. Before the end of 2007, I would organise a Ministerial conference
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
to discuss the way forward. I would then propose a new Action Plan in 2008 to continue work in this area."
His views on multilingualism fall in line with the current European Union language policy as described in the Communication from the Commission "A New Framework Strategy for Multilingualism" on November 22, 2005.
Views on EU-Romania relations and the European integration
Orban defended Romania's accession to the EU, believing that Romania can only gain from its entry and stressing the importance of a post-accession strategy for his country.On the "future of Europe", Orban believes in a strong, cohesive European Union capable of being a major actor on the global scene. In addition, he stressed the need to increase the pace of the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy
Lisbon Strategy
The Lisbon Strategy, also known as the Lisbon Agenda or Lisbon Process, was an action and development plan devised in 2000, for the economy of the European Union between 2000 and 2010....
, a ten-year strategy designed to make the European Union the world's most competitive economy by 2010. Institutionally, he supported the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , , was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union...
, voted down in referendums in France and Netherlands in 2005, believing that it should be ratified by the member states without further negotiations or without excluding some of its provisions.
External links
- Leonard Orban – former official site
- European Parliament Hearings of the two Commissioners designate from Bulgaria and Romania – Main Page
- Curriculum Vitae of Leonard Orban for the European Parliament Hearing (PDF)
- Introductory statement for the European Parliament Hearing (PDF)
- Orban's answers to questionnaire on multilingualism for the European Parliament Hearing (PDF)
- Video of Orban's European Parliament Hearing
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