Jacques Barrot

Who is Jacques Barrot?

Jacques Barrot is a French politician, who has served as European Commissioner for Justice, after four years as Commissioner for Transport and Commissioner for Regional Policy for eight months. He is also one of five vice-presidents of the 27-member Barroso Commission. He previously held various ministerial positions in France, and is a member of the right-wing political party UMP. He was officially approved in his post by the European Parliament on 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 the Prodi Commission before being selected as a Vice-President and Commissioner for Transport in the Barroso 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 the European Parliament in 2004 for Commissioner of Transport and made a Vice-President in the new Barroso Commission.