Dragoș Tudorache Explained

Dragoș Tudorache
Party:USR PLUS/USR
Constituency Mp:Romania
Term Start:2019
Parliament:European
Birth Date:1975 1, df=yes
Birth Place:Vaslui, Vaslui County, Romania
Nationality:Romanian
Alma Mater:Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
Occupation:Judge
Politician
Lawyer

Dragoș Tudorache (born 14 January 1975) is a Romanian politician of USR PLUS/USR who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019.[1]

Early career

From 2000, Tudorache worked as the coordinator of analysis team in the Department of Rule of Law and Protection of Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Pristina. Between 2003 and 2005 he served as the Head of the Legal Department of the UN team of International Judges at the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).[2]

From 2005 until 2007, Tudorache worked at the Delegation of the European Commission in Bucharest, where he was responsible for legal and anti-corruption issues. In 2007 he joined the European Commission's Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs in Brussels.[3]

Political career

Career in national politics

On 17 September 2016, Dragoș Tudorache was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs, after having previously been head of the chancellery in the Cioloș Cabinet, an apolitical, technocratic government.[4] He held this position until 4 January 2017, when the Grindeanu Cabinet was invested, following the legislative elections.

Immediately after the establishment of the Party of Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (PLUS) on 15 December 2018, Tudorache joined this party and ran in its internal elections for the 2019 European elections.[5]

Member of the European Parliament, 2019–present

Following the 2019 elections, Tudorache was part of a cross-party working group in charge of drafting the European Parliament's five-year work program on the rule of law, borders and migration.[6] He later joined the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age[7] the Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (since 2022).[8] [9] In this capacity, he is his parliamentary group's rapporteur on the United States–European Union relations[10] and the Artificial Intelligence Act.[11] In 2021, he also joined the parliament's working group on Frontex, led by Roberta Metsola.[12]

In addition to his committee assignments, Tudorache is part of the Parliament's delegations for relations with the United States and with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo.[13] He is also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Anti-Corruption.[14]

Since 2021, Tudorache has been serving as deputy chair of the Renew Europe parliamentary group, under the leadership of chair Stéphane Séjourné.[15]

In 2024, Tudorache was the joint winner, alongside Italian MEP Brando Benifei, of the "MEP of the Mandate" award at The Parliament Magazines annual MEP Awards.[16]

Political positions

In 2021, Tudorache joined seven other Romanian MEPs in co-signing a letter to Ursula von der Leyen and Maroš Šefčovič in which they call on the European Commission to stop the United Kingdom from holding EU nationals in immigration removal centers.[17]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/197665 His MEP profile
  2. https://aspeninstitute.ro/people/dragos-tudorache/ Dragoș Tudorache
  3. https://aspeninstitute.ro/people/dragos-tudorache/ Dragoș Tudorache
  4. Web site: Dragos Tudorache a depus juramantul . 17 June 2021 . 9 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210509144127/https://ziare.com/ioan-dragos-tudorache/ministru-interne/dragos-tudorache-a-depus-juramantul-ce-i-a-cerut-iohannis-noului-ministru-de-interne-1435431 . live .
  5. Web site: Cine s-a înscris în competiția internă din PLUS pentru europarlamentare . 17 June 2021 . 8 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201108003231/https://www.g4media.ro/exclusiv-cine-s-a-inscris-in-competitia-interna-din-plus-pentru-europarlamentare-dacian-ciolos-dragos-tudorache-dragos-pislaru-valeriu-nicolae-liviu-iolu-alin-mituta-ramona-strugariu-ex-minist.html . live .
  6. Florian Eder (June 13, 2019), POLITICO Brussels Playbook, presented by Google: Madrid's moment — Parliament working groups sneak peak [sic] — Happy birthday, GDPR Politico Europe.
  7. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/197665/DRAGOS_TUDORACHE/home Dragoș Tudorache
  8. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sedcms/documents/PRIORITY_INFO/558/Composition%20nominative%20des%20commissions%20PEGA%20COVI%20ING2_24.03.2022_EN.pdf Members of the Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware
  9. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220321IPR25923/parliament-names-meps-to-sit-on-three-new-committees Parliament names MEPs to sit on three new committees
  10. Andreas Rogal (October 5, 2021), China, multilateralism and NATO dominate European Parliament’s lively debate on EU-US relationship The Parliament Magazine’'.
  11. Gian Volpicelli (9 December 2023), EU negotiators strike political deal on AI Act Politico Europe.
  12. Mia Bartoloni (February 26, 2021), Movers and Shakers The Parliament Magazine.
  13. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/197665/DRAGOS_TUDORACHE/home Dragoș Tudorache
  14. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/files/organisation-and-rules/organisation/intergroups/list-of-members-anti-corruption.pdf Intergroup on Anti-Corruption
  15. Nisa Khan (October 21, 2021), Movers and Shakers The Parliament Magazine.
  16. News: MEP awards: Seven lawmakers recognised for outstanding contribution to EU policymaking. 21 March 2024. Euronews. 26 March 2024.
  17. Cristina Gallardo (May 12, 2021), MEPs urge von der Leyen to tackle UK immigration detention of EU nationals Politico Europe.