Transport Commissioner
| European Commissioner for Transport | |
|---|---|
| Appointer | Jean-Claude Juncker |
| Term length | Five years |
| Formation | 1958 |
The Commissioner for Transport is the member of the European Commission. The current commissioner is Violeta Bulc.
The portfolio is responsible for the development of transport infrastructure in the European Union such as road and rail networks but also navigation systems such as the Galileo positioning system.
Antonio Tajani was Commissioner from 2008 to 2010. Being head of the Forza Italia delegation in Europe, on 8 May 2008 he was appointed by the newly elected Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, as Italy's EU Commissioner. He replaced Franco Frattini who was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Commissioner Barrot was approved by the European Parliament in 2004 and made a Vice-President in the Barroso Commission. However shortly after he began work, UKIP MEP Nigel Farage revealed Barrot had previously been convicted of fraud in 2000. French President Jacques Chirac had granted him presidential amnesty. A fact the Commissioner did not disclose during his hearing to the Parliament. Despite calls from some MEPs for him to be suspended he remained in office.
A major project during his term is the Galileo positioning system. Work on the system began a year before Barrot came to office and has developed since with the launch of the first satellite. However infighting within private sector partners may be a potential setback to the project with Barrot favouring greater funds from the EU budget [1]. Other work includes recent guarantees of air passenger rights [2] and the Single European Sky.
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