Titus Corlățean


Titus Corlățean is a Romanian politician and diplomat, former Minister of Justice and of Foreign Affairs. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, part of the Party of European Socialists, and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Brașov County in the 2004 elections.

Early life and education

Corlățean was born in Medgidia, and graduated from the University of Bucharest's Faculty of Law in 1994. He also earned a certificate from the International Institute of the École nationale d'administration in Paris.

Diplomatic career

Between 1994 and 2001, Corlățean worked as a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before joining Prime Minister Adrian Năstase's Chancellery in 2001-2003.

Political career

Corlățean has been a member of the PSD since 2002, serving as spokesperson for its Coordinating Committee after 2004.
Corlățean became an appointed Member of the European Parliament on 1 January 2007, with the accession of Romania to the European Union. He was elected to that body late in the same year. During his tenure, he served on the Committee on Legal Affairs, including as vice-chair. He resigned in 2008 after being returned to the Chamber. In 2012, he was elected Senator for Bucharest.
In Prime Minister Victor Ponta's cabinet, Corlățean served as Justice Minister and as Foreign Minister. He resigned from the latter position following the first round of the 2014 presidential election, in which he was blamed for not setting up enough polling places for the Romanian diaspora.
In addition to his role in parliament, Corlățean has served as member of the Romanian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2009 until 2012 and since 2015. As member of the PSD, he is part of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group. In the Assembly, he has served on the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy; the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights; the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights; the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe ; the Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights; and the Sub-Committee on the Middle East and the Arab World.
Alongside Kerstin Lundgren and later Claude Kern, Corlățean has been the Assembly's co-rapporteur on Georgia since 2018. In 2019, he became the Assembly’s General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty.

Recognition

In 2004, Corlățean was appointed Knight of the Order of the Star of Romania; in 2014, he was appointed Grand Cross of the Order pro merito Melitensi.

Personal life

Corlățean is married and the father of one daughter.