A member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), he became Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises in the second Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu cabinet (April 5, 2007).

Born in Satu Mare, Satu Mare County, Socialist Republic of Romania, Silaghi graduated in Mechanical engineering from the Transylvania University of Braşov (1987), and later (2004) took a master's degree in Public administration from the Vasile Goldiş University in Arad.

From the time of his graduation to 1990 (after the Romanian Revolution), he worked as an engineer in his native city, and soon after opened his own private enterprise.

In 1999–2004, he was president of the Satu Mare Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.

On 1 January 2007 he became a Member of the European Parliament for the PNL, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, with the accession of Romania to the European Union, before being nominated for a ministerial position in early 2007.