Antonio Tajani facts for kids

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Antonio Tajani

Tajani in 2023

Deputy Prime Minister of Italy

Incumbent

Assumed office
22 October 2022

Serving with Matteo Salvini

Prime Minister

Giorgia Meloni

Preceded by

Matteo Salvini (2019)
Luigi Di Maio (2019)

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Incumbent

Assumed office
22 October 2022

Prime Minister

Giorgia Meloni

Preceded by

Luigi Di Maio

Secretary of Forza Italia

Incumbent

Assumed office
15 July 2023

Preceded by

Office established

Member of the Chamber of Deputies

Incumbent

Assumed office
13 October 2022

Constituency

Velletri

European Union offices

President of the European Parliament
In office 17 January 2017 – 3 July 2019
Vice President	Mairead McGuinness
Preceded by	Martin Schulz
Succeeded by	David Sassoli
First Vice-President of the European Parliament
In office 1 July 2014 – 18 January 2017
President	Martin Schulz
Preceded by	Gianni Pittella
Succeeded by	Mairead McGuinness
European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship
In office 9 February 2010 – 1 July 2014
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Günter Verheugen
Succeeded by	Michel Barnier (Acting)
European Commissioner for Transport
In office 9 May 2008 – 9 February 2010
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Jacques Barrot
Succeeded by	Siim Kallas
Member of the European Parliament
In office 1 July 2014 – 12 October 2022
Constituency	Central Italy
In office 14 July 1994 – 8 May 2008
Constituency	Central Italy

Personal details

Born

4 August 1953 (age 71)
Rome, Italy

Political party

FI (since 2013)

Other political
affiliations

UMI (1970s)
FI (1994–2009)
PdL (2009–2013)

Spouse

Brunella Orecchio

(m. 1988)

Children

Education

Sapienza University

Signature

Antonio Tajani (born 4 August 1953) is an Italian politician and journalist. He used to be an officer in the Italian Air Force. Since October 2022, he has been serving as the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Before these roles, he was the President of the European Parliament from 2017 to 2019. He also worked as a European Commissioner from 2008 to 2014. He was a member of the European Parliament for many years, from 1994 to 2008 and again from 2014 to 2022. After that, he was elected to Italy's Chamber of Deputies.

In July 2023, Antonio Tajani became the new leader of the political party Forza Italia. This happened after the death of the party's previous leader, Silvio Berlusconi.

Antonio Tajani's Career
Recognitions
Electoral history
Honours
Images for kids
See also

Antonio Tajani's Career

Early Life and Beginnings

Antonio Tajani was born in Rome, Italy. He studied law at the Sapienza University of Rome. He also served as a reserve officer in the Italian Air Force. In his younger years, he was part of a student group called the Youth Monarchist Front.

In 1994, he helped start the Forza Italia political party. He then worked as a regional coordinator for the party in Lazio until 2005. From 1994 to 1995, he was a spokesman for the Prime Minister in Silvio Berlusconi's first government.

In 1996, he ran for parliament but did not win. In 2001, he tried to become the mayor of Rome but was also defeated.

Before his political career, Tajani was a professional journalist. He worked as a parliamentary reporter and an editor. He also presented news on RAI and was a head of the Roman office for the newspaper Il Giornale. He reported from places like Lebanon, the Soviet Union, and Somalia. Besides Italian, he can speak English, French, and Spanish. He is married and has two children.

Working in the European Parliament

In 1994, Tajani was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). He was re-elected two more times, in 1999 and 2004. From 1999 to 2008, he led the Forza Italia group in the European Parliament.

Since 2002, Tajani has been one of the Vice-Presidents of the European People's Party. This is a large group of center-right political parties in Europe. He was re-elected to this role several times.

In the 2004 European elections, he was elected from the Central Italy region. He received many votes and joined the European People's Party. As an MEP, he worked on the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs. He also worked on issues related to civil liberties and justice.

Tajani was part of the group that wrote the text for the European Constitution. This constitution was meant to guide the European Union but was never fully put into action.

European Commissioner for Transport

Tajani and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso at the EPP congress in 2008

In May 2008, Antonio Tajani became Italy's EU Commissioner. He took over the role of European Commissioner for Transport. This meant he was in charge of transport policies for the entire European Union. The European Parliament officially approved him for this job. He also served as a Vice-President of the European Commission.

In this role, Tajani worked on plans to help the Italian airline Alitalia. He also focused on creating new rules to protect the rights of passengers traveling by air. These rules aimed to ensure that passengers received help and refunds if their flights were canceled or delayed.

European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship

In 2009, Tajani was reappointed as a European Commissioner. This time, he became the European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship. He continued to be one of the four Vice-Presidents of the European Commission.

In October 2012, Antonio Tajani started a campaign for a "new industrial revolution" in Europe. His goal was to help European industries grow and create more jobs. He wanted industry to make up 20% of Europe's economy by 2020.

He also worked on a new rule called the Late Payments Directive. This rule aimed to stop companies from delaying payments in business deals. Tajani wanted this rule to be put into action quickly across all EU countries.

Tajani at the EPP congress in 2012

Tajani also worked on making it easier to register cars in different EU countries. He wanted to reduce the paperwork needed for this process. He also worked on ways to prevent stolen cars from being registered in other countries.

To fight against fake industrial goods, Tajani launched a campaign to make people aware of counterfeiting. He also worked on rules to better control products entering the European market. This included rules for "Made in" labels to show where products were manufactured.

He presented a plan called CARS2020 to help the European car industry. This plan focused on making cars more energy-efficient and using new technologies. Tajani also worked on plans to support entrepreneurs and help businesses grow. He wanted to make it easier for businesses to get funding and to recover after difficulties.

Another project he led was "50,000 Tourists." This project aimed to encourage tourism between Europe and South America during off-peak seasons. He also worked on rules to help travelers stay safe. Tajani also explored how easier visa rules could help more foreign travelers visit the EU.

In March 2013, he was chosen to lead a new working group between the EU and Brazil. This group looked for ways to work together on industry, especially in high-tech areas. He also presented a plan to support the steel industry in Europe.

President of the European Parliament

President Tajani in March 2017

In January 2017, Antonio Tajani was elected as the President of the European Parliament. This is a very important role, as the President leads the meetings and work of the Parliament. He was the first Italian to hold this position since 1979.

In March 2017, Tajani spoke about the importance of stability in Africa. In February 2018, Silvio Berlusconi suggested Tajani as a possible Prime Minister if his party won the Italian general election. Tajani accepted this idea.

He hoped to be re-elected for a second term as President of the European Parliament in January 2019. However, another Italian politician, David Sassoli, was chosen instead.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Leader of Forza Italia

Tajani with US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in Münster in November 2022

Tajani with the UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in 2023

After the 2022 Italian general election, which was won by a group of center-right parties, Giorgia Meloni became Italy's first female prime minister. On 22 October 2022, Antonio Tajani became the deputy prime minister in her government. He was also appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This new government also included the party of Matteo Salvini.

After the death of Silvio Berlusconi in June 2023, the Forza Italia party needed a new leader. In July, Antonio Tajani was chosen unanimously to become the new Secretary of the party, making him its new leader.

Recognitions

Antonio Tajani has received several awards for his work:

2 April 2014 - Aragon Empresa Award from Prince Felipe of Asturias for his work in industry and business.
10 February 2014 - Innovadores Award from El Mundo for supporting industry, business, and new ideas.
17 April 2012 – Honors for his commitment to small and medium-sized businesses and EU integration from the Spanish Royal Institute of European Studies.
28 March 2012 – Prize from the Optical Society of America for promoting important new technologies.
19 March 2012 – Europe Prize 2011 for his strong support of businesses and promoting Italy's image in Europe.
21 November 2011 – International Journalism Prize "Argil: European man" for communicating about Europe.

Electoral history

Election	House	Constituency		Votes	Result
1994	European Parliament	Central Italy	FI	50,991	Y Elected
1999	European Parliament	Central Italy	FI	55,240	Y Elected
2004	European Parliament	Central Italy	FI	123,201	Y Elected
2014	European Parliament	Central Italy	FI	109,720	Y Elected
2019	European Parliament	Central Italy	FI	69,026	Y Elected
2022	Chamber of Deputies	Lazio 1 – Velletri	FI	105,628	Y Elected