Romanian PM Sends Proposition For European Affairs Minister To Parliament

According to the source, the prime minister called on the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies in a letter Wednesday to convene a joint meeting to hold a vote on the proposition to set up the new ministry and appoint presidential adviser Leonard Orban as Minister of European Affairs.

People close to the matter told MEDIAFAX Tuesday he new minister will coordinate the EU fund absorption process and will head the Department for European Affairs (DAE) and the Structural Instrument Coordination Authority (ACIS).

The ruling coalition agreed Tuesday Orban should be heard by parliamentary committees Monday and the legislature should hold a vote on his appointment as minister next Tuesday. The ruling coalition now awaits the Parliament's standing office decision on this calendar.

The Government requires a confidence vote in Parliament to create a new ministry. Orban will be appointed minister if he garners the votes of at least 236 lawmakers.

Orban was Deputy Chief Negotiator for Romania's accession to the European Union between 2001 and 2004 and became the country's Chief Negotiator with the EU in December 2004, a position which he held until April 2005.

In June 2006, he was appointed chief of the delegation negotiating Romania's accession to the European Economic Area.

Romania joined the European Union in 2007 and Orban was appointed EU Commissioner for Multilingualism.

Since March 2010, he has been presidential adviser on European Affairs.

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