Leonard Orban (born June 28, 1961) is a Romanian independent technocrat who currently serves as the Commissioner for Multilingualism in the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union (EU). He is responsible for the EU language policy and is 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 will end on October 31, 2009. 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. The President of Romania is the head of state of Romania. ... Some formulations might express the personal views of some editors. ... Categories: Lists of office-holders | Romanian history | Romanian Prime Ministers ... 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Type Lower house President (Speaker) Bogdan Olteanu, PNL, since 2006 Number of members 332 Political groups (as of 2006 elections) PSD, PNL, PD, PRM, UDMR, PC, National minorities, Independents Meeting place Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest Web site www. ... The High Court of Cassation and Justice (Romanian: Înalta Curte de Casaţie şi Justiţie) is Romanias supreme Court of justice. ... The Supreme Council of National Defense (Consiliul Suprem de Apărare a Ţării; acronym: CSAT) is the autonomous administrative authority in Romania, invested by the Constitution with the task of organizing coordinating, in a unitary fashion, the activities related to the defense of the country and national security. ... The Romanian Ombudsman (Avocatul Poporului in Romanian, literally meaning Peoples Advocate) is an independent institution of the Government of Romania, responsible for investigating and addressing complaints made by citizens against other government institutions. ... 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Romania will elect its members of the European Parliament for the first time on the second half of 2007; the election was initially scheduled for 13 May, but the PM postponed it for domestic political reasons. ... Romanias administration is relatively centralised and administrative subdivisions are therefore fairly simplified. ... // Priorities Since December 1989, Romania has actively pursued a policy of strengthening relations with the West in general, more specifically with the United States and the European Union. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Technocrat can refer to: An individual who makes decisions based solely on technical information and not personal or public opinion. ... Leonard Orban Barroso Commission, 2007 to 2009 The European Commissioner for Multilingualism is the member of the European Commission responsible for language policy of the European Union, i. ... The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 31 October 2009. ... Chameleon, a symbol of the multilingualism of the European Union. ... It has been suggested that List of European Commissioners from Ireland, Romanian European Commissioner, Bulgarian European Commissioner be merged into this article or section. ... The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive of the European Union. ... Look up portfolio in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up multilingual, multilingualism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 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Steering the multilingualism language policy of the EU, Orban focuses on promoting foreign language learning through EU programmes such as Lifelong learning Programme 2007-2013. In addition, his remit also includes 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 oversees 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. Many countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. ... The manner in which a child acquires language is a matter long debated by linguists and child psychologists alike. ... The Integrated action programme in the field of lifelong learning (usually referred to as the Integrated programme) is the EU Commissions proposal for a programme to supersede the actions of the Socrates programme. ... The Directorate-General for Interpretation is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. ... The Directorate-General for Translation (DGT), located in Brussels and Luxembourg, provides translation of written text into and out of the European Unions twenty official languages. ... The Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (Publications Office) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. ... Chameleon, a symbol of the multilingualism of the European Union. ... The European Union (EU) has an independent parliament and civil service which is distinct from those of the 25 member states. ...

Though unaffiliated to any political party, Orban adheres to liberalism. He supports Romania's closer European integration and a strong European Union, as well as the relaunch of the frozen Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe without modifications to the original text. Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value. ... European integration is the process of political and economic (and in some cases social and cultural) integration of European states into a tighter bloc. ... The constitutional treaty as signed in Rome on 29 October 2004 by representatives of the EU member states The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TECE), commonly referred to as the European Constitution, was an international treaty intended to create a new constitution for the European Union. ...

Early years and personal life

Orban was born in Braşov, central Romania, to a father of Hungarian origin and a Romanian mother. His brother, Ludovic Orban, a prominent politician of Romania's National Liberal Party, is Romania's current Transport Minister. He is married and has a daughter. His personal interests range from foreign policy, classical music, reading and cinema.^[1] County BraÅŸov County Status County capital Mayor George Scripcaru, Democratic Party, since 2004 Area 267. ... This article or section should be merged with Hungarian Minority in Romania The Hungarian minority in Romania is one of the largest minorities in Europe, estimated at around one and a half million people. ... The Partidul NaÅ£ional Liberal (National Liberal Party) is a liberal party in Romania, and the second largest party in parliament, being edged out only by the Social Democratic Party. ... The Ministry of Transport, Constructions and Tourism of Romania (Romanian: ) is one of the fifteen ministries of the Government of Romania. ... A countrys foreign policy is a set of political goals that seeks to outline how that particular country will interact with other countries of the world and, to a lesser extent, non-state actors. ... This article discusses classical music in the first sense (see below). ... Reading is a process of retrieving and comprehending some form of stored information or ideas. ...

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.^[1] A bachelors degree (Artium Baccalaureus, A.B. or B.A.) is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Engineering is the design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The main building in PiaÅ£a Romană, Bucharest Image:Library of ASE.JPG The library of ASE The logo of ASE The Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies (Academia de Studii Economice BucureÅŸti, or ASE, in Romanian) is the oldest and most prestigious university of economics in Romania. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

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).^[1]

Working for European affairs

Orban signing the Treaty of Accession of Romania to the EU, Luxembourg, April 25, 2005.

From 1993 to 2001, Orban served as a Parliamentary Counsellor on European and International Affairs within the Chamber of Deputies 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. From May 2001 to 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.^[1][2] In 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.^[1] In October 30, 2006, Orban was nominated as Romania's candidate for the European Commission.^[3] From January 1, 2007, Orban became European Commissioner for Multilingualism for Romania in the Barroso commission.^[4] He has written numerous newspaper articles and analyses and has given numerous speeches on European affairs.^[1] Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 547 pixelsFull resolution (2244 × 1535 pixel, file size: 258 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a copyrighted image that has been released by a company or organization to promote their work or product in the media, such as advertising... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 547 pixelsFull resolution (2244 × 1535 pixel, file size: 258 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a copyrighted image that has been released by a company or organization to promote their work or product in the media, such as advertising... European Union 2007  Member states The Treaty of Accession 2005 is an agreement between the member states of European Union and Bulgaria and Romania. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (116th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Type Lower house President (Speaker) Bogdan Olteanu, PNL, since 2006 Number of members 332 Political groups (as of 2006 elections) PSD, PNL, PD, PRM, UDMR, PC, National minorities, Independents Meeting place Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest Web site www. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senatul Camera DeputaÅ£ilor President of the Senate Nicolae Văcăroiu, PSD since 2004 President of the Chamber of Deputies Bogdan Olteanu, PNL since 2006 Members 469 137 senators 332 deputies Political groups (as of 2004 elections) Senate: PSD, PNL, PD,PRM, UDMR, PC, Independents Chamber... The logo of the Romanian Ministry of European Integration The Ministry of European Integration of Romania (Romanian: ) is one of the fifteen ministries of the Government of Romania. ... Romania within the European Union, as of January 1, 2007. ... European Union 2007  Member states The Treaty of Accession 2005 is an agreement between the member states of European Union and Bulgaria and Romania. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (116th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Some formulations might express the personal views of some editors. ... Călin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tăriceanu () (born January 14, 1952) is a Romanian politician, the current Prime Minister of Romania — since December 28, 2004. ... Mihai Razvan Ungureanu Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu (born 1968) is a Romanian historian, diplomat and politician. ... The Justus Lipsius building, the headquarter of the EU Council in Brussels The Council of the European Union (German: Rat der Europäischen Union, French: Le Conseil de lUnion européenne), is a governing body that forms, along with the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Commission seat in Brussels The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 31 October 2009. ...

Orban has not joined a political party, but is of liberal political leaning. He participates as an independent in the European Parliament political group Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).^[5][6][7] Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value. ... Political Groups in the European Parliament combine the MEPs from European political parties, informal European political blocs, and independents, into powerful coalitions. ... ALDE logo The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (French: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour lEurope) is a Group in the European Parliament. ...

Portfolio as European Commissioner

As European Commissioner for Multilingualism in the Barroso Commission, Orban is responsible for the language policy of the European Union, i.e. promoting multilingualism for the citizens and the institutions of the European Union. He is the first to hold this portfolio. Multilingualism was previously a responsibility of the European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism, Ján Figeľ, the first Commissioner whose portfolio explicitly included multilingualism. Leonard Orban Barroso Commission, 2007 to 2009 The European Commissioner for Multilingualism is the member of the European Commission responsible for language policy of the European Union, i. ... The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 31 October 2009. ... Chameleon, a symbol of the multilingualism of the European Union. ... Look up multilingual, multilingualism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up portfolio in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism is a member of the European Commission responsible for policies in education and training, youth, sport, civil society, culture , translation, interpretation, relations with the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities and multilingualism. ... Ján Figeľ Ján Figeľ (born 20 January 1960) is a Slovak politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism. ...

Politically, the portfolio is focused on promoting foreign languages learning,^[8][9] specifically, an individual's mother tongue plus two other languages,^[10] 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.^[11] 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 is 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.^[12] In many of these issues, responsibility is shared with other Commissioners, namely the European Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture, Ján Figeľ. Orban is also responsible, alongside the President of the Commission, Barroso, and Figeľ to work on "intercultural dialogue", including the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. The manner in which a child acquires language is a matter long debated by linguists and child psychologists alike. ... This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... 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. ... Bilingual redirects here. ... Linguistic rights (or language rights or linguistic human rights) are the human and civil rights concerning the individual and collective right to chose the language or languages for communicating in the private or public sphere, regardless ethnicity or nationality or the number of the speakers of a language in a... A regional language is a language spoken in a part of a country, be it may be a small area, a federal state or province, or a wider area. ... A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a country. ... Many countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. ... Subsidiarity is the idea that matters should be handled by the smallest (or, the lowest) competent authority. ... The manner in which a child acquires language is a matter long debated by linguists and child psychologists alike. ... The Integrated action programme in the field of lifelong learning (usually referred to as the Integrated programme) is the EU Commissions proposal for a programme to supersede the actions of the Socrates programme. ... Interpretation, or interpreting, is an activity that consists of establishing, either simultaneously or consecutively, oral or gestural communications between two or more speakers who are not speaking (or signing) the same language. ... Look up translate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... To publish is to make publicly known, and in reference to text and images, it can mean distributing paper copies to the public, or putting the content on a website. ... François-Xavier Ortoli, Romano Prodi, José Manuel Barroso and Jacques Delors The President of the European Commission is notionally the highest ranking unelected official within the European Union bureaucracy. ... José Manuel Duroso Barrão, GCC (pronounced: IPA,  ) (born in Lisbon, March 23, 1956) is a Portuguese politician and the 11th President of the European Commission. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008. ...

Administratively, Orban is 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 responsbile for overseeing 3,400 staff (approximately 15 per cent of the Brussels executive's workforce) and approximately 1 per cent of the EU budget.^[12] Orban is assisted by a cabinet of nine members; Patricia Bugnot (French) is Head of Cabinet and Jochen Richter (German) is Deputy Head. The cabinet does not include any natively anglophone member.^[13][14] Orban's salary is €18,233.38 (approx. US$ 23,631, c.2007) a month plus housing allowance.^[15] The Directorate-General for Translation (DGT), located in Brussels and Luxembourg, provides translation of written text into and out of the European Unions twenty official languages. ... The Directorate-General for Interpretation is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. ... The Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (Publications Office) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. ... The Directorate-General for Education and Culture is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. ... The European Union (EU) has an independent parliament and civil service which is distinct from those of the 25 member states. ... Look up Anglophone in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Appointment procedure

Orban's hearing before the European Parliament, Brussels, November 27, 2006.

Orban's oath before the European Court of Justice, Luxembourg, January 22, 2007.

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 are appointed by the Council of the European Union in common accord with the President of the Commission and after consultation with the European Parliament.^[16] 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.^[17] Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 531 pixelsFull resolution (4288 × 2848 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 531 pixelsFull resolution (4288 × 2848 pixel, file size: 2. ... Established 1952, as the Common Assembly President Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP) Since 16 January 2007 Vice-Presidents 14 Political parties 8 Committees 22 Last election June 2004 (785 MEPs) Meeting place Brussels and Strasbourg Secretariat Luxembourg and Brussels Website europarl. ... Nickname: Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Government  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area  - Region 162 km²  (62. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 531 pixelsFull resolution (4288 × 2848 pixel, file size: 6. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 531 pixelsFull resolution (4288 × 2848 pixel, file size: 6. ... European Court of Justice building, Luxembourg The Court of Justice of the European Communities, usually called the European Court of Justice (ECJ), is the highest court of the European Union (EU). ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... European Union 2007  Member states The Treaty of Accession 2005 is an agreement between the member states of European Union and Bulgaria and Romania. ... The Justus Lipsius building, the headquarter of the EU Council in Brussels The Council of the European Union (German: Rat der Europäischen Union, French: Le Conseil de lUnion européenne), is a governing body that forms, along with the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union... François-Xavier Ortoli, Romano Prodi, José Manuel Barroso and Jacques Delors The President of the European Commission is notionally the highest ranking unelected official within the European Union bureaucracy. ... Established 1952, as the Common Assembly President Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP) Since 16 January 2007 Vice-Presidents 14 Political parties 8 Committees 22 Last election June 2004 (785 MEPs) Meeting place Brussels and Strasbourg Secretariat Luxembourg and Brussels Website europarl. ... The European Union (EU) was created by six founding states in 1957 (following the earlier establishment by the same six states of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952) and has grown to 27 member states. ...

In 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, the current 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.^[3][18] October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Varujan Vosganian (born 25 July 1958) is a Romanian politician of Armenian ethnicity. ... The Partidul NaÅ£ional Liberal (National Liberal Party) is a liberal party in Romania, and the second largest party in parliament, being edged out only by the Social Democratic Party. ... The Ministry of Economy and Commerce of Romania (Romanian: ) is one of the fifteen ministries of the Government of Romania. ... Nicolae CeauÅŸescu (IPA , in English, normally (and erroneously) ) (January 26, 1918 - December 25, 1989) was the leader of Communist Romania from 1965 until shortly before his execution. ... Mihai Razvan Ungureanu Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu (born 1968) is a Romanian historian, diplomat and politician. ...

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,^[19][20][21], the Socialist Group (PES) in the European Parliament^[22] and the liberal Financial Times newspaper.^[23] Socialist Group leader, Martin Schulz, suggested a portfolio for the protection of ethnic minorities instead.^[22] 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".^[24] 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".^[25] The Social Democratic Party of Romania (in Romanian, Partidul Social Democrat, PSD) is a major political party of Romania. ... The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a European political party whose members are 33 social democratic, socialist and labour parties of the European Union member states as well as Norway. ... The Financial Times (FT) is an international business newspaper printed on distinctive salmon pink broadsheet paper. ... Martin Schulz Martin Schulz (born on 20 December 1955 in Hehlrath) is a German politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Chairman of the Socialist Group and . ... In sociology and in voting theory, a minority is a sub-group that is outnumbered by persons who do not belong to it. ... In the European Union, the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament consists of the President of Parliament and the chairmen of the political groups (who may arrange to be represented by a member of their group). ... Established 1952, as the Common Assembly President Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP) Since 16 January 2007 Vice-Presidents 14 Political parties 8 Committees 22 Last election June 2004 (785 MEPs) Meeting place Brussels and Strasbourg Secretariat Luxembourg and Brussels Website europarl. ...

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,^[26] the Committee gave a positive assessment.^[27][24] 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.^[28][29] 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.^[25] On January 1, 2007, he was appointed by the Council^[4] and on January 22, 2007, in a ceremony in Luxembourg, Orban was sworn in before the European Court of Justice.^[30] Orban holds the position of European Commissioner until 31 October 2009, when the remaining term of office for the Barroso Commission ends. Nickname: Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Government  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area  - Region 162 km²  (62. ... [[]]See Cult (disambiguation) if this is not what you were looking for. ... The Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) is a committee of the European Parliament. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Established 1952, as the Common Assembly President Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP) Since 16 January 2007 Vice-Presidents 14 Political parties 8 Committees 22 Last election June 2004 (785 MEPs) Meeting place Brussels and Strasbourg Secretariat Luxembourg and Brussels Website europarl. ... City flag City coat of arms Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country Region Alsace Department Bas-Rhin (67) Intercommunality Urban Community of Strasbourg Mayor Fabienne Keller  (UMP) City Statistics Land area¹ 78. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... European Court of Justice building, Luxembourg The Court of Justice of the European Communities, usually called the European Court of Justice (ECJ), is the highest court of the European Union (EU). ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Views on multilingualism

Orban, Barroso, and Kuneva, first meeting of the new Barroso Commission after the 2007 EU enlargement, Brussels, January 10, 2007.

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.^[12][31][32] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (4060x2334, 1515 KB) from left to right: Leonard Orban, Romania European Commissioner for Multilingualism, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and Meglena Kuneva, Bulgarian European Commissioner for Consumer Protection on January 10, 2007, at the first meeting of the... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (4060x2334, 1515 KB) from left to right: Leonard Orban, Romania European Commissioner for Multilingualism, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and Meglena Kuneva, Bulgarian European Commissioner for Consumer Protection on January 10, 2007, at the first meeting of the... José Manuel Durão Barroso (pronunced: IPA, ) (born in Lisbon, March 23, 1956) is a Portuguese politician. ... Meglena Kuneva Meglena Kuneva (Bulgarian: ) is a Bulgarian and European politician. ... The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 31 October 2009. ... The European Union (EU) was created by six founding states in 1957 (following the earlier establishment by the same six states of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952) and has grown to 27 member states. ... Nickname: Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Government  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area  - Region 162 km²  (62. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The manner in which a child acquires language is a matter long debated by linguists and child psychologists alike. ...

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.^[12] The European Union (EU) was created by six founding states in 1957 (following the earlier establishment by the same six states of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952) and has grown to 27 member states. ... A Member of the European Parliament (English abbreviation MEP)[1] is a member of the European Unions directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. ... 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. ...

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."^[12] 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."^[12] 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.^[12] 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.^[12] 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."^[12] 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."^[12] 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.^[12] 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."^[31] Look up multilingual, multilingualism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... An internal market operates inside an organisation or set of organisations which have decoupled internal components. ... Cultural cooperation in the European Union has become a community competency since its inclusion in 1992 in the Maastricht Treaty. ... This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... It has been suggested that toleration be merged into this article or section. ... Citizenship of the Union was introduced by the Maastricht Treaty signed in 1992. ... The Lisbon Strategy, also known as the Lisbon Agenda or Lisbon Process, is an action and development plan for the European Union. ... Language teaching has gone through an important evolution in the recent decades and many different principles have been described. ... Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA)is: the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Bilingual redirects here. ... The Integrated action programme in the field of lifelong learning (usually referred to as the Integrated programme) is the EU Commissions proposal for a programme to supersede the actions of the Socrates programme. ... This article is about discrimination in the social science context. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A regional language is a language spoken in a part of a country, be it may be a small area, a federal state or province, or a wider area. ... A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a country. ... Linguistic rights (or language rights or linguistic human rights) are the human and civil rights concerning the individual and collective right to chose the language or languages for communicating in the private or public sphere, regardless ethnicity or nationality or the number of the speakers of a language in a...

Orban's remit includes the development of the European Indicator of Language Competence, the creation of a Business Forum on Multilingualism and a translation contest between schools from all over Europe as part of the events marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.^[12] In addition to the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 and other educational and cultural programmes, Orban will promote multilingualism within other relevant policies and programmes, including the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, the European Social Fund and immigration initiatives.^[12] He also intends to contribute to the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, where multilingualism plays a fundamental part.^[12] 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."^[12] Look up translate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Treaty of Rome signing ceremony Signatures in the Treaty The Treaty of Rome, signed by France, West Germany, Italy and Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) on March 25, 1957, established the European Economic Community (EEC). ... The Seventh Framework Programme (abbreviated FP7) is the upcoming (2007-2013) Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development set up by the European Union (EU) in order to fund and promote European research and technological development. ... The European Social Fund (ESF) is the oldest of the European Structural Funds that provide grants to support economic development within the European Union. ... The Justus Lipsius building, the headquarter of the EU Council in Brussels The Council of the European Union (German: Rat der Europäischen Union, French: Le Conseil de lUnion européenne), is a governing body that forms, along with the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union...

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.^[8] November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Views on EU-Romania relations and the European integration

Orban defends Romania's accession to the EU, believing that Romania can only gain from its entry^[33] and stressing the importance of a post-accession strategy for his country.^[34]

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 stresses 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.^[35] Institutionally, he supports 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.^[36] The Lisbon Strategy, also known as the Lisbon Agenda or Lisbon Process, is an action and development plan for the European Union. ... The constitutional treaty as signed in Rome on 29 October 2004 by representatives of the EU member states The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TECE), commonly referred to as the European Constitution, was an international treaty intended to create a new constitution for the European Union. ...

References

January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 6 is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... December 6 is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 6 is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

External links

• Leonard Orban - 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