Bogdan Aurescu, picked for foreign minister (bio)

On October 24, 2019, Prime Minister-designate Ludovic Orban unveiled the composition of the Cabinet that he will submit to the Parliament for a vote. Bogdan Aurescu was picked for the position of foreign minister. 

Career diplomat Bogdan Lucian Aurescu, a former foreign minister (November 24, 2014- November 17, 2015), was born on September 9, 1973. 

He graduated from the Sfantul Sava Collegiate High School of Bucharest (1992), the Faculties of Law (1996, with a merit diploma) and History (1998) of the University of Bucharest, the Nicolae Titulescu - Henri Capitant Franco-Romanian Institute of Business Law and International Cooperation (1996) and the National Defence College in Bucharest (2000). He is fluent in English and French. 

He holds a summa cum laude doctor's degree in legal sciences, law, for a thesis on the concept of sovereignty and supremacy of international law. In 2011, he very successfully completed a post-doctoral research programme in the fields of Minority Rights in International Law, International Humanitarian Law, Refugee Law and Criminal Law, writing on developments in the relationship between state and individuals in the field of international minority rights law and international protection of persons belonging to national minorities, according to the website www.presidency.ro. 

He made a teaching debut in 1998, being, in turn, a university assistant (2002-2004); lecturer (2004-2012); senior lecturer (2012-2015). In 2015 he became a university professor at the Department of Public Law of the Faculty of Law, the University of Bucharest (where he taught or is still teaching International Public Law, International Organizations and Relations, International Jurisdictions, International Minority Protection Law). He also taught or is still teaching at the Diplomatic Academy/Romanian Diplomatic Institute, the National School of Political and Administrative Studies, the Nicolae Titulescu University in Bucharest. In July 2006, he was a visiting professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Hamburg, under ERASMUS Teaching Staff mobility. 

He has been working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1996, where he started at the Legal and Treaties Department. Between 1998 and 2003, he successively held the positions of adviser in the Foreign Minister's Office, deputy director of the Legal and Treaties Directorate, office director, director of the Legal and Treaties / International Law and Treaties Directorate, director general of the Legal Affairs General Directorate. 

He was a senior official at Office of Romania's Government Agent for the European Court of Human Rights (2003-2004) and senior official in European affairs (2004-2005). In September 2004, Aurescu became Romania's Agent for the International Court of Justice, coordinating - throughout the proceedings - the activity of a team that successfully represented Romania in a Black Sea maritime delineation case against Ukraine that was completed on February 3, 2009. 

In 2010-2011, he was a chief negotiator of an agreement between Romania and the United States on missile defense and the Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Romania and the USA. His current diplomatic rank is minister-plenipotentiary. 

Aurescu became a senior strategic affairs official at the Foreign Ministry (MAE) on February 4, 2009. Between August 2010 and February 2012, he became a senior European affairs official, also coordinating the Security Policy Directorate. Between March and June 2012, he was senior official in charge with global affairs. From June 2012 to November 24, 2014, he was a senior official in charge with strategic business. 

On October 23, 2009, Prime Minister-designate Lucian Croitoru picked Aurescu to be part of the new Cabinet, as foreign minister, but the cabinet was invalidated on November 4, 2009. 

He is a member of the United Nations International Law Commission (elected on November 3, 2016) and of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, an alternate member of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) of the Council of Europe, alternate representative of Romania to the Danube Commission and arbitrator appointed by Romania in accordance with Article 2 in Annex VII to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. He is also the chairman of the International Law Section of the International Law and International Relations Association and of the Romanian Branch of the International Law Association (London), editor-in-chief of the Romanian International Law Magazine, a member on the editorial board of the "Curierul Judiciar" (Law Courier) journal, as well as a member on the scientific board of the ''ACTA Universitatis Lucian Blaga'' (Sibiu), according to www.mae.ro. 

In 2002, MAE awarded Aurescu an excellence diploma for exceptional contribution to the diplomatic activity of Romania and, in 2009, an excellence diploma for special merits in diplomatic career and the exceptional contribution to "Romania versus Ukraine case of maritime delimitation in the Black Sea before the International Court of Justice.'' 

He is the recipient of a Faithful Service in the rank of Knight (2002) decoration, the Diplomatic Merit in rank of Knight (2007), Romania's Star (2009) in the rank of Knight, the Cross of Commander of Poland's Order of Merit (2009), Romania's Star in rank of Officer (2013), the Badge of Honour of the General Defence Staff, the Romanian Defence Ministry (2013), the Gold Medal of the Polish Armed Forces (2013), a Legion of Honour in rank of Knight of the French Republic (2016). 

He is the author, co-author or coordinator of 15 books on international law, 24 chapters published in collective books, 17 studies published in volumes of specialist international conferences and over 130 articles, studies, comments, reviews published in Romanian and foreign magazines, such as "Romanian Journal of International Law," "Annals of the University of Bucharest-Law Series, "Curierul Judiciar," "Annuaire Francais de Droit International," "The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law," 'Helsinki Monitor,' "Security and Human Rights", "European Yearbook of Minority Issues," "Hellenic Review of International Law", "Chinese Journal of International Law". As an alternate member (independent legal expert) of the Venice Commission, he has been a rapporteur or co-rapporteur for 24 reports, opinions or studies of this institution. 

On November 24, 2014, then Prime Minister Victor Ponta picked Aurescu to take over the foreign affairs portfolio. The same day, President Traian Basescu signed the appointment decree. His term ended on November 17, 2015, with the swear-in of a new government, led by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos. 

On May 6, 2016, Bogdan Aurescu was appointed presidential adviser at the Foreign Policy Department.