Romania's Orban Visions More Languages for Better EU Competitiveness

Politics » BULGARIA IN EU | November 27, 2006, Monday // 00:00

Leonard Orban, Romania's designated EU commissioner for multilingualism, said he would push for more language training at schools.

He explained to MEPs in the External Relations Committee his vision on Europeans being more competitive on the global job market. He also pledged to do more to protect minority languages.

The Romanian was grilled by MEPs from the parliament's culture committee on his suitability as the EU's new commissioner for multilingualism.

Orban was pushed during a confirmation hearing at the European Parliament to defend why a separate post for promoting languages at the European Commission was needed.

"The ability to speak several languages is obviously important," Orban told EU lawmakers. The Romanian, currently deputy European affairs minister in Bucharest, spoke in French, English and his native Romanian during his hearing.

Orban said he would also propose ideas on how the EU could move closer to its goal of getting students across the EU to speak at least three languages fluently.

He stressed that EU governments should be pushing for more language courses in non-EU languages like Russian, Turkish, Arabic and Chinese.

Ensuring the smooth translation and interpretation of all official EU languages was also a priority, Orban said. The number of official EU languages will grow to 23 when Romania and Bulgaria join.

Leonard Orban and Bulgaria's designated commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, faced questions on their appointments to the EU's executive office in separate hearings Monday.

The hearings were sat just over a month before their countries join the EU January 1, following years of strenuous reforms. Following the vote in parliament, the council is expected to formally appoint both Orban and Bulgarian commissioner-designate Meglena Kuneva by the end of December.

The posts for the two commissioners were carved out from other portfolios in the current 25-member EU executive. Multilingualism had been the responsibility of Education Commissioner Jan Figel of Slovakia.

Leonard Orban, 45, led Romania's entry talks team with the EU from 2004.

Each EU member country can send an official to sit on the commission's executive, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the EU, ensuring all EU rules are carried out by member governments.

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