Adrian Cioroianu | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Cioroianu in 2013 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office April 5, 2007 – April 15, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu |
| Succeeded by | Lazăr Comănescu |
| Constituency | Timiș County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1967-01-05)January 5, 1967 (age 59) |
| Party | National Liberal Party (PNL) |
| Spouse | Divorced |
| Occupation | Historian, academic, journalist |
| Website | www.cioroianu.ro |
Adrian Mihai Cioroianu (born January 5, 1967, inCraiova,Romania) is a Romanian historian, politician, journalist, and essayist. A lecturer for the History Department at theUniversity of Bucharest, he is the author of several books dealing withRomanian history (and specifically with the history ofCommunist Romania). He is also noted for his contribution as co-author of a high school textbook.
A member of theGroup for Social Dialogue, he joined theNational Liberal Party (PNL) and was elected to theRomanian Senate forTimiș County in 2004. Following theaccession of Romania to the European Union (January 1, 2007), he served as aMember of the European Parliament in theAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and a vice president of the ALDE group in theEuropean Parliament. On April 5, 2007, Cioroianu becameForeign Affairs Minister in the secondCălin Popescu-Tăriceanu cabinet. On April 11, 2008, he announced his resignation, following a scandal involving the death of a Romanian citizen on hunger strike in Poland.
A contributor to numerous newspapers and magazines (includingCotidianul,22,Sfera Politicii,Lettre International, andDosarele Istoriei), he has been a member of the editorial staff forDilema Veche since 1998, and an editor forGazeta Sporturilor since 2003. Between 2000 and 2004, Cioroianu has hosted severaltalk shows on television (forPax TV,TVR 1, andRealitatea TV).
He was born on 5 January 1967. Born inCraiova to Iulian and Valeria, Cioroianu graduated from the University of Bucharest's Faculty of History in 1993, taking aMaster's degree fromUniversité Laval inQuebec (1997), and aPhD from the same institution (with the thesisThe Myth, the Images and the Cult of the Leader in Communist Romania, 2002).
In 1993 he married Luminiţa, a university classmate who became an English-language translator.[1] They had a son, Mihai, in 1999 before divorcing in November 2003. His wife cited an extramarital affair and a disinterest in family obligations as motives for the divorce.[2]
One of his first noted public appearances took place in 1999, when several textbooks received endorsement from theMinistry of Education, as multiple alternatives to the older ones (which had been authored by the ministry itself). New methods and subjects proposed in the study of Romanian history became the center of controversy, which involved, among others, the textbook authored by Cioroianu and other University staff (Stelian Brezeanu, Florin Müller, Mihai Sorin Rădulescu, andMihai Retegan) forEditura RAO; the book itself was criticized for not allocating a larger segment to theRomanian Revolution of 1989, and Cioroianu later explained that the editorial choice had been imposed by the level of trustworthy sources available at the time.[3]
Cioroianu was also highly critical of the methods used by adversaries of the textbooks during the overall debate, and publicly sided with the authors of arguably the most innovative manual, the one published byEditura Sigma.[4][5] He repeatedly argued in favor of the authors (Sorin Mitu,Ovidiu Pecican, Lucia Copoeru, Virgiliu Ţârău, and Liviu Ţîrău), debating the issue withMarius Tucă andOctavian Paler during television appearances of that year.[4]
Throughout theAdrian Năstasepremiership (2000–2004), Cioroianu remained critical of theSocial Democratic Party's policies on education, and questioned the decision taken by the Minister of Education,Ecaterina Andronescu, regarding restrictions on the number of textbooks receiving official approval.[6]
Cioroianu entered politics as a PNL member in 2002, when he became an adviser onTheodor Stolojan's staff.
In 2004, he was elected to the Senate forTimiș County, a member of theJustice and Truth group inside theParliament of Romania. He was Vice President of the Senate Committee on Culture, Arts and Media, and stood on the Committee of Inquiry into the activities of theRomanian Television Company.
With fellow National Liberal parliamentariansMona Muscă,Viorel Oancea, andMihăiţă Calimente, Cioroianu initiated the legislative project onlustration (aimed at preventing formerRomanian Communist Party andUnion of Communist Youth active cadres from holding public office over a period of ten years).[7][8] Proposed at the same time as a more radical one drafted byNational Initiative Party politicians,[7] it reflected the legacy of theTimișoara Proclamation[7] and was passed by the Senate in April 2006.[8]
He became an observer to theEuropean Parliament in 2005, and was subsequently selected MEP in 2007. On February 19, 2007, he was nominated as foreign minister byPrime MinisterCălin Popescu Tăriceanu, following the resignation ofMihai Răzvan Ungureanu.[9]PresidentTraian Băsescu refused to approve the nomination, saying that Cioroianu lacked the necessary experience.[10] In March, Tăriceanu asked theConstitutional Court to resolve the dispute.[10]
Following the creation of the second Popescu Tăriceanu cabinet, Cioroianu was confirmed as foreign minister by President Băsescu and sworn in on April 5, 2007. He resigned on April 11, 2008, following a scandal involving an alleged Romanian thief who died following ahunger strike inKraków, Poland, where he had been arrested. Romania's consular services were faulted for not intervening in his defense.[11]
In autumn 2006, he was selected byTVR 1 to take part in thetelevised poll to determine the greatest Romanian, during which he was to showcase the career ofConducătorIon Antonescu, Romania'sWorld War II dictator; the public had already selected Antonescu as one of the top 10 entries. Like otherintellectuals chosen to take part in the campaign, each supporting a particular entry, Cioroianu narrated a short documentary film, and was subsequently involved in debates on the TVR 1 set (during two separate rounds of voting).
Unlike all other participants, he chose to base his account of Antonescu on criticism, exposing, among others,war crimes against theJewish andRoma communities during theHolocaust (inTransnistria and elsewhere),[12] as well as Antonescu's unquestioned support forAdolf Hitler (seeRomania during World War II), while arguing that Antonescu was a mediocre politician.[13]
TheRomanian Academy's National Institute for the Study ofTotalitarianism reacted to the program, accusing TVR 1 of mounting an overt campaign to denigrate Antonescu.[13] It also questioned the fact that Cioroianu, a member of the Senate Committee on Culture, had accepted payment with public funds for his presence on the show.[13] Criticism was also voiced byZiua newspaper, which asked why the Television had not handed the office to a public person with more positive views of the former Romanian leader, and argued that Cioroianu had used his position to shame those who had voted for Antonescu.[14]
In response, Cioroianu indicated that he had been invited on set as a history professor, not as an Antonescu defender or a senator,[12] and argued that his was a version determined by research (arguing that the latter is "the best cure against all sorts of mythologies and clichés").[12]
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