Jacques Barrot

Jacques Barrot
Barrot in 2004
European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security
In office 9 May 2008 – 9 February 2010
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Franco Frattini
Succeeded by	Viviane Reding(Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship) Cecilia Malmström(Home Affairs)
European Commissioner for Transport
In office 22 November 2004 – 9 May 2008
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Loyola de Palacio(Energyand Transport)
Succeeded by	Antonio Tajani
European Commissioner for Regional Policy
In office 1 April 2004 – 22 November 2004
President	Romano Prodi
Preceded by	Michel Barnier
Succeeded by	Danuta Hübner
Member of theConstitutional Council
In office 12 March 2010 – 3 December 2014
Appointed by	Bernard Accoyer
President	Jean-Louis Debré
Preceded by	Pierre Joxe
Succeeded by	Lionel Jospin
Minister of Labour
In office 18 May 1995 – 2 June 1997
President	Jacques Chirac
Prime Minister	Alain Juppé
Preceded by	Michel Giraud
Succeeded by	Martine Aubry
Minister of Health
In office 4 July 1979 – 13 May 1981
President	Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Prime Minister	Raymond Barre
Preceded by	Simone Veil
Succeeded by	Edmond Hervé
Member of theNational Assembly forHaute-Loire's 1st constituency
In office 1 January 1997 – 4 July 2004
Preceded by	Serge Monnier
Succeeded by	Laurent Wauquiez
Personal details
Born	(1937-02-03)3 February 1937 Yssingeaux,France
Died	3 December 2014(2014-12-03)(aged 77) Neuilly-sur-Seine,France
Political party	UDF(before 2002) UMP(2002–2014)
Children	3, includingJean-Noël Barrot
Alma mater	Aix-Marseille University Sciences Po

Jacques Barrot(French pronunciation:[ʒakbaʁo];3 February 1937 – 3 December 2014) was a French politician, who served asEuropean CommissionerforJusticebetween 2008 and 2010, after having spent four years serving as Commissioner for Transport (2004–2008) and Commissioner for Regional Policy for eight months (2004). He was also one of five vice-presidents of the 27-memberBarroso Commission.He previously held various ministerial positions in France, and was a member of the right-wing political partyUMP.He was officially approved in his post by theEuropean Parliamenton 18 June 2008 with a vote of 489 to 52 with 19 abstentions.

Barrot was a European Commissioner between April 2004 and, serving as Commissioner for Regional Policy in theProdi Commissionbefore being selected as a Vice-President and Commissioner for Transport in theBarroso Commission.

He was convicted in a French court of embezzlement in 2000. The case involved the diverting of £2 million of government money to his party. He received an eight-month suspended prison sentence. His conviction was automatically erased by a 1995 presidential amnesty.

Barrot was approved by theEuropean Parliamentin 2004 for Commissioner of Transport and made aVice-Presidentin the newBarroso Commission.However shortly after he began work, his previous conviction was revealed byNigel Farage,MEPforIndependence and Democracy.French PresidentJacques Chirachad 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 after a large majority accepted legal opinion that Barrot was not legally required to disclose the amnesty.

A major project during his term was theGalileo 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 have been a potential setback to the project with Barrot favouring greater funds from theEU budget.Other work includes recent guarantees of air passenger rights and theSingle European Sky.

Barrot died on 3 December 2014 inNeuilly-sur-Seineat the age of 77.

Political career

• Member of theConstitutional Council of France:Since 2010.
• Vice-President of theEuropean Commission:November 2004 – 2010.
• European Commissionerfor Justice and Home Affairs: 2008–2010.
• European Commissionerfor Transports: 2004–2008.
• European Commissionerfor Regional Policy: March–November 2004.

Governmental functions

• Secretary of State for Housing: 1974–1978.
• Minister of Trade and Handicrafts: 1978–1979.
• Minister of Health and Social Security: 1979–1981.
• Minister of Labor, Social Dialogue and Participation: May–November 1995.
• Minister of Labor and Social Affairs: 1995–1997.

Electoral mandates

National Assembly of France

• President of the group ofUnion for a Popular Movement:2002–2004 (Resignation).
• Member of theNational Assembly of FranceforHaute-Loire's 1st constituency:1967–1974 (Became Secretary of State in 1974) / 1981–1995 (Became minister in 1995) / 1997–2004 (Resignation, became member of theEuropean Commissionin 2004). Elected in 1967, re-elected in 1968, 1973, 1978, 1981, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1997, 2002.

General Council

• President of theHaute-LoireGeneral Council: 1976–2001. Re-elected in 1979, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998.
• General councillor ofHaute-Loire:1966–2008. Re-elected in 1970, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1994, 2001.

Municipal Council

• Mayor ofYssingeaux:1989–2001. Re-elected in 1995.
• Deputy-mayor ofYssingeaux:1971–1989. Re-elected in 1977, 1983.
• Municipal councillor ofYssingeaux:1965–2001. Re-elected in 1971, 1977, 1983, 1989, 1995.

External links

• Official website