Antonio Tajani, Industry and Entrepreneurship
(Italy, Christian Democrat)

Background

Before entering politics, Antonio Tajani, a law graduate, served as an officer in the Italian Air Force. Following this, he pursued a career in journalism where he worked for publications such as Il Settimanale and Il Giornale, and as a presenter on the Radio 1 news programme.  He later acted as spokesman for the Italian prime minister before becoming one of the founding members of the Forza Italia political party. Tajani has been very active on the Brussels scene since he was first elected to the European Parliament in 1994. Having served as leader of Forza Italia in the European Parliament, Tajani also served as Vice President of the EPP in 2002 and again in 2006, and took part in the Convention on the Future of Europe, aimed at creating the European Constitutional Treaty. In Barroso I, Tajani served as Commissioner for Transport starting in May 2008.

 

Stated objectives on taking office

• To develop a new industrial policy focused on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and greening the economy;
• To maintain competitiveness and employment in the European automotive sector by working within the CARS21 strategy and by ensuring that the industry becomes greener and safer;
• To work closely with the Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli to revise the current legislation on transparency in the pharmaceutical sector and to establish task forces which will examine the contribution of the pharmaceutical industry to health and social systems across Europe;
• To address problems with regard to the translation of the guidelines on REACH;
• To launch a communication and awareness campaign on EC conformity marks with regard to toy safety;
• To use opportunities such as Expo 2015 and the 2012 Olympic Games in London as platforms to promote Europe as a tourist destination;
• To resolve remaining problems with regard to the harmonisation of Galileo.

Members of the Cabinet

Antonio PRETO, Head of Cabinet
Diego CANGA FANO, Deputy Head of Cabinet
Ruth PASERMAN, Member, Industrial Policy and Economic Reforms
Johann FRIEDRICH COLSMAN, Member, EU Space Policy and EU Satellite Navigation Programmes
Mattia PELLEGRINI, Member, New Approach Industries, Competition, Trade and Development
Massimo BALDINATO, Member, Regulatory Policy
Silvia BARTOLINI, Member, Inter-institutional Relations and Communication
Fabio PIROTTA, Spokesperson

Andrea MARESI - Press officer

 

Main actions to date

• Publishing a  communication for a strategy on clean and energy efficient vehicles;
• Emphasizing the smooth implementation of the registration of high-volume chemicals by REACH and implementing solutions to practical problems to support industry’s work, in particular SMEs;
• Announcing the relaunch of the CARS21 high-level group, which was agreed at an informal meeting with EU ministers responsible for the automotive industry;
• Emphasizing the importance of tourism particularly in the context of the Commission's programme for entrepreneurship and competitiveness. In this regard, Tajani hopes to include a dedicated instrument for tourism in the new multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020.

What  to expect

President Barroso is thought to have moved Tajani from the justice, freedom and security portfolio over fears that he would be too partisan as a result of his strong political links to the European Parliament. Tajani is sometimes accused of focusing on politics as opposed to policy but as the European Union seeks to develop an effective exit strategy from the economic recession, Tajani’s portfolio for industry and entrepreneurship will no doubt play a central role in achieving this.