Antonio Tajani
 Antonio Tajani      (officer, politician) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Antonio Fabrizio Tajani 4 August 1953 Rome, Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Sapienza University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Bellina Tajani | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity, Forza Italia, People of Freedom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian politician and European Commissioner who became Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2022
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Antonio Tajani is an Italian politician, journalist and former Italian Air Force officer, who has been Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs since 22 October 2022. He was President of the European Parliament from 2017 to 2019, European Commissioner from 2008 to 2014, and also as a member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 2008 and again from 2014 to 2022 until he was elected to Italy's Chamber of Deputies.
Following the death of Silvio Berlusconi, on 15 July 2023 Tajani was appointed secretary of Forza Italia, becoming the party's new leader.
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'.[1] In March 2010 he met Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman for a 'working lunch' in Brussels. 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'.[2]
Contents
Early years
Tajani attended the Liceo Torquato Tasso in Rome and graduated in law from the Sapienza University of Rome; he was a reserve officer of the Italian Air Force. After attending the high specialization course in air defense at Borgo Piave di Latina, he was air defense controller at the San Giovanni Teatino radar base. In his youth Tajani was a militant of Fronte Monarchico Giovanile (Youth Monarchist Front), a student organization of the Italian Monarchist Union (UMI). He has consistently advocated the return from exile of the House of Savoy (which was banned by the Italian Constitution until 2002, when the Italian Parliament lifted the ban).
He was one of the founders of the Forza Italia party in 1994, and then regional coordinator of the party in Lazio from 1994 in 2005.[3]
In Berlusconi's first government (1994–95), he was a spokesman for the Prime Minister.
In 2001, Tajani was a candidate for mayor of Rome for the coalition of the House of Freedom, but was defeated by Walter Veltroni after polling 47.8% of votes.
Professional journalist since 1980, he was parliamentary reporter, editor of Il Settimanale, presenter on Rai of Gr1 and finally head of the Roman editorial staff of Il Giornale newspaper under the direction of Indro Montanelli. He was a special envoy to Lebanon, the Soviet Union and Somalia.
Europolitician
In 1994 Tajani was elected a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), and reelected in 1999 and 2004.[4] He was chairman of the delegation of Forza Italia to the European Parliament from June 1999 until May 2008.
He was a member of the European Convention, which drafted the text of the European Constitution that never entered into force.
He was a member of the Working Group on the Conference on the Future of Europe.
On 8 May 2008, he was appointed as Italy's EU Commissioner by newly elected Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, replacing Franco Frattini, who became the new Italian foreign minister. Tajani received the Commissioner for Transport portfolio. He was officially approved in his post by the European Parliament on 18 June 2008 with a vote of 507 to 53 with 64 abstentions. He also served as Vice-President of the European Commission.[5]
In 2009 he was reappointed as a member of Italian nationality of the second Barroso Commission, as European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship; he remained one of the four Vice-Presidents of the Commission.[6]
In 17 January 2017, Tajani was elected President of the European Parliament after four rounds of voting; he was first Italian to hold the office since the Christian democrat Emilio Colombo (1977–1979).
In March 2017, Tajani warned that "Africa is now risking becoming a Chinese colony" as the Chinese want only the raw materials but not interested in stability.[7]
In February 2018, Silvio Berlusconi indicated Tajani as his candidate for the premiership if the centre-right would win the general election in March.[8] Tajani accepted the candidacy on 1 March.[9]
In January 2019, Tajani expressed hope to be re-elected for a second 2.5-year term, but he was replaced by another Italian, member of the Democratic Party, David Sassoli.[10]
Minister of Foreign Affairs and leader of Forza Italia
Following the 2022 election, won by the centre-right coalition, on 22 October 2022, Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Brothers of Italy party, was sworn in as Italy's prime minister. Tajani became deputy prime minister in her government. The new government, Italy's most right-wing since World War II, included also right-wing party of Matteo Salvini, the League.[11] Tajani was also appointed as minister of foreign affairs.
On 12 June 2023 Silvio Berlusconi died. A few days after Berlusconi's death, the party announced that a national council would be summoned before the end of summer in order to appoint an acting president and determine the road map toward the national congress that would elect the new party's leadership.[12] In July, the party's national council amended the party's statute by removing the post of president, which would be forever associated with Berlusconi (including in the party's symbol), and introducing the post of secretary. Contextually, Tajani was unanimously elected secretary, becoming the party's new leader.[13]
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munich Security Conference/2024 | 16 February 2024 | 18 February 2024 | Germany Munich Bavaria | Annual conference of mid-level functionaries from the military-industrial complex - politicians, propagandists and lobbyists - in their own bubble, far from the concerns of their subjects |
| WEF/Annual Meeting/2014 | 22 January 2014 | 25 January 2014 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | 2604 guests in Davos considered "Reshaping The World" |
References
- ↑ EU and Israel signs civil aviation agreement, Europa RAPID Press Releases, 9 December 2008, accessed 19 October 2012
- ↑ 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
- ↑ http://www.corriere.it/politica/17_gennaio_18/dai-monarchici-berlusconi-tajani-fa1a4de0-dcfc-11e6-8f57-4c08b8d088ab.shtml
- ↑ https://www.true-news.it/facts/chi-e-antonio-tajani-vicepresidente-di-fi-ed-europarlamentare
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20160817224524/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/focus_page/008-31558-168-06-25-901-20080612FCS31557-16-06-2008-2008/default_en.htm
- ↑ http://www.esteri.it/MAE/IT/Sala_Stampa/ArchivioNotizie/Comunicati/2009/11/20091127_nominaTajani.htm Congratulazioni
- ↑ http://clubofmozambique.com/news/eu-parliament-president-warns-against-turning-africa-into-chinese-colony/
- ↑ https://www.politico.eu/article/silvio-berlusconi-indicates-antonio-tajani-will-be-his-choice-for-pm-italy-election/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Antonio_Tajani/status/969318258141794305/
- ↑ https://euobserver.com/eu-election/143983
- ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63327290
- ↑ https://www.repubblica.it/politica/2023/06/16/news/tajani_forza_italia_marina_berlusconi-40468317
- ↑ https://www.ansa.it/english/news/politics/2023/07/15/tajani-elected-forza-italia-secretary_5cbad4fb-a490-49e5-b181-bb45f61008e0.html
This page imported content from Wikipedia on 02.02.2024.Wikipedia is not affiliated with Wikispooks. Original page source here
