EPP is confident Leonard Orban is competent to become European Commissioner

Leonard Orban’s hearing for the position of European Commissioner,having taken place on Monday in the European Parliament (EP) Committee on Culture, was positive, reads a press release issued by the European People’s Party (EPP) group, the largest political one in the EP.

Orban’s written answers to the questionnaire previously submitted to the Commission as well as the answers he gave during the hearings clearly showed he is competent and qualified to take a position in the EU Commissioners’ Collegiums, the release reads on.

The appraisals are the more important as the EPP group, known for its criticism to Romania, has been very reserved so far because Leonard Orban was not known well enough.

Erna Hennicot Schoepges, who conducted the hearings on EPP’s behalf, said she was confident Orban had all the required qualities to join the European Commission.

The hearings on Monday were focused rather on the languages of the ethnic minorities than on multilingualism, and Orban showed openness and willingness to act in favour of all the languages spoken in the European Union and to promote the inter-cultural dialogue. He has in view a constructive dialogue on the languages the minorities are speaking, everywhere it is necessary, the source says.

Orban promised the translations within the EU would improve and would be more efficient in terms of costs, the EPP release also says.

Romania’s candidate displayed his strong support to the EU and the Constitutional Treaty and his answers showed he is sensitive to the issue regarding the rights of the minorities, the rroma one above all, the EPP release says. ROMPRES