Berlusconi ally to be named for EU job-source

BRUSSELS, May 8 (Reuters) - A lawmaker close to Silvio Berlusconi will be nominated as Italy's man in the European Commission after Franco Frattini left to join Berlusconi's new government, a Commission official said on Thursday.

"Frattini resigned last night and Antonio Tajani is due to be nominated this afternoon," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Tajani is the head of lawmakers in the European Parliament from the Forza Italia political party that Berlusconi founded.

Tajani will not take the EU's justice and security post that Frattini held after Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso reshuffled the top jobs in Brussels, giving the post to Jacques Barrot of France. Italy got the transport portfolio instead.

Some members of the European Parliament had expressed concern about a Berlusconi appointee taking over the justice job, which includes immigration, after recent outspoken comments by Berlusconi on tackling illegal immigration.

The transport post includes overseeing the attempts by Italy to rescue struggling Italian airline Alitalia (AZPIa.MI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) without falling foul of EU state aid rules. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio, writing by Pete Harrison, editing by William Schomberg)