Franco Frattini

Infobox_Officeholder
honorific-prefix = Ministro
name = Franco Frattini

---

order = Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs

term_start2 = November 14 2002
term_end2 = November 18 2004
primeminister2 = Silvio Berlusconi
predecessor2 = Silvio Berlusconi
successor2 = Gianfranco Fini
term_start = May 8 2008
term_end =
primeminister = Silvio Berlusconi
predecessor = Massimo D'Alema
successor = incumbent

order3 = Vice President of the European Commission for Justice, Freedom and Security
term_start3 = 22 November, 2004
term_end3 = May 8, 2008
predecessor3 = António Vitorino
successor3 =

birth_date = birth date and age|1957|03|14
birth_place = Rome, Italy
nationality = Italian
profession = politician
party = People of Freedom

Franco Frattini (born 14 March 1957 in Rome) is an Italian politician, currently serving as Italy's Foreign Minister in the new Berlusconi Cabinet. Before the 8th of May he served as European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security and one of five vice-presidents of the 27-member Barroso Commission.

Career

Initially a member of the Italian Socialist Party, Frattini was a member of Silvio Berlusconi's government since 2001, and Foreign Minister of Italy since November 14, 2002; he is also a member of Berlusconi's Forza Italia.

On November 4, 2004, he was nominated to take up the Justice portfolio in the Commission, in place of the controversial Rocco Buttiglione (who outed him as a Freemason). [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article389300.ece "Buttiglione 'outs' his EU successor as a Freemason" – The Times, London, 10 November 2004] .Retrieved 2007-07-30.] His resignation from the Italian government took effect on November 18. Deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini succeeded him as Foreign Minister.

Reports on "Gamespot" showed he was seeking a Europe-wide ban on violent videogames. On 6 February 2007 – Safer Internet Day 2007 – Frattini recalled the need to protect children's rights, saying: "I am deeply concerned at this potential harm by the internet to children. This could involve people preying on them or children accessing racist, cruel or violent material." [ [http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/frattini/doc/2007/pr_06_02_07_en.pdf "Declaration on protecting children's rights by Vice President Frattini on Safer Internet Day 2007" , European Commission website, undated.] .Retrieved on 2007-07-30.] [Gamespot, 18.1. 2007, [http://www.gamespot.com/news/6164323.html Euro game debate gathers steam] ]

Interviewed by Reuters he declared his intention to promote online communications monitoring and censorship of "dangerous words" like "bomb, kill, genocide or terrorism" and is expected make a proposal to member states in November 2007. [ [http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSL1055133420070910 "Web search for bomb recipes should be blocked: EU" – Reuters, 2007-09-10] ]

References

External links

* [http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/frattini/index_en.htm Official website at the European Commission]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3983839.stm BBC profile]

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