The assignment of the multilingualism portfolio to the Romanian Commissioner by Barroso was highly controversial. Barroso was severely criticized for creating a new Commissioner portfolio so that the accessing countries in 2007 could hold a post. The portfolio was criticized for being too "light" for such a high-rank official, that there would be an overlap of responsibilities with other Commissioners and the good functioning of the commission would be endangered. The portfolio was considered insubstantial for a Commissioner due to the limited jurisdiction of the EU in affecting language policy and the more administrative (rather than political character) of the post. In addition, it appeared that the portfolio had been created to complete a 27-strong Commission; Romania's appointment of a technocrat rather than a politician, given the country's deficits in interior and justice policies, especially in terms of corruption, would result in the Romanian Commissioner taking a degraded portfolio. This criticism came from the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Romania's main opposition party,Romanian oppn wants better EU portfolio , The Peninsula (Reuters), November 2, 2006. Retrieved on January 28, 2007.Leon Mangasarian, Interview: Romanian leader – tough EU entry terms not 'second class', Monsters and Critics, November 2, 2006. Retrieved on January 28, 2007.Who do the politicians want to cheat? , Nine O'Clock, November 1, 2006. Retrieved on January 28, 2007. the Socialist Group (PES) in the European ParliamentSocialists criticise new commissioner’s portfolio , EurActiv.com, November 15, 2007. Retrieved on February 4, 2007 and the liberal Financial Times newspaper.Tobias Buck, Romania's less than glittering prize , The Financial Times, December 1, 2006. Retrieved on February 4, 2007. Socialist Group leader, Martin Schulz, suggested a portfolio for the protection of ethnic minorities instead. The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament asked Barroso to clarify the mandate of the Commissioner for Multilingualism as well as the mandate of the other members of the commission with regards to the "intercultural dialogue".Assessment of the Conference of Presidents, (PDF) European Parliament website, November 28, 2006. Retrieved on January 28, 2007. Barroso turned down the PES proposal and defended the post. He stated that Ján Figeľ, the Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture, "will remain responsible for the management of actions to directly promote the inter-cultural dialogue".Lucia Kubosova, MEPs back Romanian commissioner despite 'indecent' job task, euobserver.com, December 6, 2006. Retrieved on December 6, 2006.
