ROME (Thomson Financial) - Italy's new government named Antonio Tajani, from
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, to replace Franco
Frattini at the European Commission, a statement said.
Each of the EU's 27 member states has a commissioner, although they are
supposed to represent EU rather than national interests in their portfolio.
Law graduate Tajani will take over the Commission's transport portfolio,
where one of the items in his in-tray will be a controversial state loan to
troubled Italian airline Alitalia SpA.
The Commission has expressed doubts that the loan will meet EU state aid
rules.
EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said late Thursday in a
statement he had agreed to Tajani's nomination. Jacques Barrot of France, the
current transport commissioner, would take over the justice, freedom and
security portfolio from Frattini.
Frattini stepped down after three years as the European Union's commissioner
to take up his new role as Italy's foreign minister.
When Frattini announced his leave of absence from the Commission to campaign
for Berlusconi, Barroso made it clear that if another Italian ended up replacing
him then the prestigious justice portfolio would go elsewhere.
That will leave Tajani with the transport job for the rest of the current
commission's tenure, which ends next year.
Tajani pursued a career as a journalist before entering politics, became a
member of European Parliament in 1994 and led the Forza Italia delegation there.
philip.webster@thomsonreuters.com
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