Antonio Tajani

Antonio Tajani (born 04 August 1953, Roma) is a former Italian MEP (1994-2008) from the former Italian political party Forza Italia, and a member of Delegation for relations with Israel.European Parliament, MEP Directory: Antonio Tajani, accessed 05 December 2010. He has also been a member of the Steering Committee of European Friends of Israel (EFI).EFI, European Friends of Israel, Press Release, 20 June 2007, accessed 05 December 2010.
Assigned by Silvio Berlusconi, he was the European Commissioner for Transport May 2008 to February 2010. He is currently the European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship from February 2010.European Commission, Antonio Tajani, accessed 05 December 2010.
Tajani has proved to be a strong ally of Israel. In December 2008, as Vice-President, he signed a civil aviation agreement with Israel and met Israeli Minister for Transport, Shaul Mofaz to discuss other 'aviation issues of common interest'.EU and Israel signs civil aviation agreement, Europa RAPID Press Releases, 9 December 2008, accessed 19 October 2012 In March 2010 he met Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman for a 'working lunch' in Brussells. According to the European Jewish Press, the 'friendly exchange' between the pair 'touched upon various areas of EU-Israeli relations' including negotiations around 'mutual market access for pharmaceutical products'.Lieberman’s visit in Brussels shows the importance Israel attaches to its relations with the EU, European Jewish Press, 24 March 2010, accessed 19 October 2012
==Affiliations==
As mentioned in his Declaration of Interests, with actual total values as financial interests, assumably in euros:
*Mediaset (6.162)
*Telecom Italia (5.121)
*Telecom Italia R (1.795)
*Generali Ass. (4.772)
*A2A (2.368)
*Banca Intesa (30.540)European Commission, Code de Conduite des Commissaires, 09 December 2009, accessed 05 December 2010.
*European Friends of IsraelEFI, European Friends of Israel, Press Release, 20 June 2007, accessed 05 December 2010.
===Parliamentary Affiliations===
:Vice-Chair:
:	15.10.2003 / 15.12.2003 : Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats
:Member:
:	19.07.1994 / 04.07.1995 : Forza Europa Group
:	21.07.1994 / 15.01.1997 : Committee on Petitions
:	05.07.1995 / 14.06.1998 : Group Union for Europe
:	16.01.1997 / 19.07.1999 : Committee on Petitions
:	16.01.1997 / 19.07.1999 : Delegation to the EU-Bulgaria Joint Parliamentary Committee
:	16.01.1997 / 08.04.1997 : Committee on Transport and Tourism
:	16.01.1997 / 19.07.1999 : Committee on Fisheries
:	09.04.1997 / 22.10.1997 : Committee on Institutional Affairs
:	23.10.1997 / 19.07.1999 : Committee on External Economic Relations
:	15.06.1998 / 19.07.1999 : Group of the European People's Party (Christian-Democratic Group)
:	20.07.1999 / 11.10.1999 : Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats
:	21.07.1999 / 14.01.2002 : Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market
:	21.07.1999 / 14.01.2002 : Committee on Fisheries
:	06.10.1999 / 14.01.2002 : Delegation for relations with Israel
:	12.10.1999 / 14.10.2003 : Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats
:	17.01.2002 / 19.07.2004 : Committee on Constitutional Affairs
:	07.02.2002 / 19.07.2004 : Delegation for relations with Israel
:	16.12.2003 / 19.07.2004 : Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats
:	20.07.2004 / 30.08.2004 : Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats
:	21.07.2004 / 14.01.2007 : Subcommittee on Security and Defence
:	21.07.2004 / 14.01.2007 : Committee on Foreign Affairs
:	31.08.2004 / 08.05.2008 : Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats
:	15.09.2004 / 13.03.2007 : Delegation for relations with Israel
:	26.09.2005 / 06.09.2006 : Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
:	15.01.2007 / 30.01.2007 : Subcommittee on Security and Defence
:	15.01.2007 / 30.01.2007 : Committee on Foreign Affairs
:	31.01.2007 / 08.05.2008 : Subcommittee on Security and Defence
:	31.01.2007 / 08.05.2008 : Committee on Foreign Affairs
:	14.03.2007 / 14.03.2007 : Delegation for relations with Israel
:	15.03.2007 / 08.05.2008 : Delegation for relations with Afghanistan
:	23.05.2007 / 19.06.2007 : Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly
:Substitute:
:	23.09.1994 / 15.01.1997 : Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs
:	16.01.1997 / 13.10.1997 : Delegation for relations with Japan
:	22.01.1997 / 22.10.1997 : Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy
:	14.10.1997 / 08.06.1998 : Delegation for relations with Japan
:	22.10.1997 / 08.06.1998 : Committee on Transport and Tourism
:	11.09.1998 / 19.07.1999 : Committee on Transport and Tourism
:	21.07.1999 / 14.01.2002 : Committee on Petitions
:	21.07.1999 / 14.01.2002 : Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
:	17.01.2002 / 15.05.2002 : Committee on Fisheries
:	17.01.2002 / 19.07.2004 : Committee on Petitions
:	17.01.2002 / 19.07.2004 : Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs
:	22.07.2004 / 25.09.2005 : Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
:	15.09.2004 / 13.03.2007 : Delegation for relations with the United States
:	07.09.2006 / 14.01.2007 : Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
:	15.01.2007 / 30.01.2007 : Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
:	31.01.2007 / 08.05.2008 : Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
:	14.03.2007 / 08.05.2008 : Delegation for relations with the United States
:	15.03.2007 / 08.05.2008 : Delegation for relations with IsraelEuropean Parliament, MEP Directory: Antonio Tajani, accessed 05 December 2010.
==Record and Controversies==
===Declaration of Financial Interests===
*European Commission, Declaration of Interests
===Record of Parliamentary Votes===
*Voted against the directive on "establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy" (A5-0027/2000). The directive covers all water management aspects in order to achieve a 'good status' of all waters by 2015.Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
*Voted in favour of the Commission White Paper on "Strategy for a future Chemicals Policy" (A5-0356/2001). The amendment helps avoid the necessary precautionary approach towards some chemical substances that are not proven to be completely safe.Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
*Voted against the directive on "waste electrical and electronic equipment" (A5-0100/2002). The amendment sets higher reuse and recycling rates for IT and telecommunication equipment.Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009. Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.
*Voted in favour of the report on "Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network" (A5-0135/2002). The Trans-European Network of Transport (TEN-T) is a network of so-called 'transport corridors' through Europe. This amendment calls for a full Strategic Environmental Assessment of these transport corridors and calls on the Commission to improve methods for analysing the environmental and economic impact of the TEN-T.Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
*Voted against the regulation concerning "traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms" (A5-0229/2002). The amendment allows customers the right to choose GM free food.Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
*Voted against the report towards a "thematic strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides" (A5-0061/2003). The amendment proposes to ban or severely restrict use of pesticides in areas around sources of drinking water and nature protected zones.Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
*Voted against the directive on "environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage" (A5-0145/2003). According to the amendment, polluters have to pay for environmental clean-up, and it supports an EU-wide regime which makes polluters liable for the damage they cause to wildlife, water and land.Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
*Voted against the directive on restructuring the "Community framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity" (A5-0302/2003). The amendment aims at giving tax benefits to environmentally friendly sources of energy, which would make them cheaper and more competitive to conventional (more polluting) sources of energy. It also gives tax benefits to environmentally friendly uses of energy for transport, for instance trains.Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009. Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.
==Personal Information==
===Curriculum Vitae===
*Law degree from la Sapienza University in Rome.
*Officer in the Italian air force, trained at the Air Combat Academy in Florence after specialising in air defence control at the Centro Tecnico Addestrativo (technical training centre) in Borgo Piave; worked in air defence control, in charge of the operations room, monitoring Italian and European air traffic (civilian and military).
*Journalist: parliamentary reporter, editor of the weekly «Il Settimanale», head of the RAI 1 radio news, chief editor of the Rome edition of «Il Giornale» and special correspondent in Lebanon, the USSR and Somalia.
*Founder member, Forza Italia (1994).
*Spokesman to Silvio Berlusconi during his first term of office as Prime Minister.
*Took part in the Convention on the future of Europe that drew up the draft European constitution from February 2002 to July 2003.
*Member of the European Parliament (1994-2008); sat on various parliamentary committees (foreign affairs, constitutional affairs, transport and tourism, fisheries and security and defence). 
*Elected leader of the Forza Italia (1999) party in the European Parliament.
*Elected to the Presidency of the European People’s Party-European Democrats (Christian-Democrat group) (1999).
*Vice-President responsible for transport policy.European Commission, Vice-President, Commissioner for Transport: Antonio Tajani, accessed 23 April 2009.
===Contact===	
:Address:
:Vice-President of the European Commission
:B-1049 Brussels
:Belgium
:Phone:
:
:Fax
:
:Email:
:CAB-TAJANI-WEBPAGE AT ec.europa.eu
:Website: 
:http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/tajani/index_en.htm
==Resources==
*EFI, European Friends of Israel, Press Release, 20 June 2007, accessed 05 December 2010.
*European Commission, Antonio Tajani, accessed 05 December 2010.
*European Commission, Code de Conduite des Commissaires, 09 December 2009, accessed 05 December 2010.
*European Commission, Vice-President, Commissioner for Transport: Antonio Tajani, accessed 23 April 2009.
*European Parliament, Declaration of Interests: Antonio Tajani, 09 June 2008, accessed 23 April 2009.
*European Parliament, MEP Directory: Antonio Tajani, accessed 23 April 2009.
*European Parliament, MEP Directory: Antonio Tajani, accessed 05 December 2010.
*Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 23 April 2009.
==Notes==
Tajani, Antonio
Category: Israel Lobby