European Commissioner-designate for agriculture and rural development Dacian Ciolos, who will be heard on Friday by the European Parliament’s expert committee, began his ascension towards Brussels in a small house with porch and modest metal gate on a narrow lane in the Pericei cummunity, where only his grandfather, Dumitru Brandus dwells today.Dacian Ciolos is still present in the tiny house at No. 351 in the many framed photos his grandpa has hung on an entire wall. The senior Ciolos is confident that his nephew will live up to his task in Brussels, because “there are not many souls on Earth like my nephew’s,’ as he puts it. At 88 years of age, Dacian Ciolos’ grandpa is still green despite some hearing problems.
“This is where he grew up. He stayed more with our and at his aunt’s home, four houses far from here. He was already diligent as a small kid,’ the grandfather depicts his offspring.
“He visits me quite often and never empty-handed. It’s him who bought me a TV and a radio set and a telephone too. Last time he was in Pericei we both went to the grave of my wife, his grandmother, who died 11 years ago,’ recalls Dumitru Brandus.
An agricultural engineer by profession, Dacian Ciolos was born in Zalau on July 27, 1969. He graduated from the Faculty of Horticulture of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Cluj (1994); he then earned an Advanced Diploma of Agriculture, with the specialization “Production and Rural Development Systems’ at the Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique ENSAR (Rennes, France).
Between 1996 and 1997 he attended a scientific Master’s Course at Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique ENSA (Montpellier, France); a PhD candidate in the economics of agricultural, agri-food and rural development at Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique – ENSA (Montpellier, France) (2000-2006).
He was also a trainee in Brussels – Rural Development Division – and responsible for the preparation of the SAPARD program (1997-1999), coordinator of the French – Romanian cooperation programs in agricultural development (1999-2001), task manager within the European Commission delegation in Romania (2002-20 03).
He speaks French and English.
A former adviser to the Minister of Agriculture (January 2005 – May 2007), representative within the Special Agricultural Committee of the European Council. Between May 2007 – October 2007, Dacian Ciolos filled the position of Under-secretary of State for European Affairs in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR).
On October 11, 2007 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tariceanu Government, after the resignation of Decebal Traian Remes, an office he held until December 22, 2008. He is not affiliated to any political party.
