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ROME: Italy's new government on Thursday 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.
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. - AFP/ac
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