However shortly after he began work, UKIP MEP Nigel Farage revealed Barrot had previously been convicted of fraud in 2000.

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.

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.