{{Infobox Prime Minister | name=Romano Prodi | image =Prodi.jpg | order =[[Prime Minister of Italy]] | term_start =[[May 17]] [[1996]] - [[October 21]] [[1998]]
[[May 17]] [[2006]] - present | term_end = | predecessor =[[Lamberto Dini]]
[[Silvio Berlusconi]] | successor =[[Massimo D'Alema]]
Incumbent | birth_date =[[August 9]] [[1939]] | birth_place =[[Scandiano]], [[Italy]] | death_date = | death_place = | profession =[[Professor]] | party =non-party, [[Olive Tree]] | spouse =Flavia Franzoni | order2 =10th [[President of the European Commission]] | term_start2 =[[September 16]] [[1999]] | term_end2 =[[October 30]] [[2004]] | president = | predecessor2 =[[Manuel Marin]] | successor2 =[[José Manuel Durão Barroso]] |}} {{audio|It-Romano Prodi.ogg|'''Romano Prodi'''}} (born [[August 9]] [[1939]]) is a [[centre-left]] [[Politics of Italy|Italian politician]]. Since [[May 17]], [[2006]], he has served as [[Prime Minister of Italy]] following the narrow victory of his ''[[l'Unione]]'' coalition over the ''[[Casa delle Libertà]]'' led by [[Silvio Berlusconi]] in the [[Italian general election, 2006|April 2006 Italian elections]]. He was previously Prime Minister from 1996 to 1998 and [[President of the European Commission|President]] of the [[European Commission]] from 1999 to 2004. Romano Prodi is often nicknamed ''il Professore'' (the [[Professor]]) because of his academic background. He also has another, derogatory, nickname, ''il Mortadella'' (after the [[Mortadella|Bolognese luncheon meat]]). ==Personal== Romano Prodi was born in [[Scandiano]], in the [[province of Reggio Emilia]] ([[Emilia-Romagna]]). He is the eighth of nine children of Mario Prodi, an engineer originally from a peasant family, and Enrica, elementary teacher. He has six brothers, five of them university professors (including a [[Member of the European Parliament]], [[Vittorio Prodi]]), and two sisters. He married [[Flavia Franzoni]] in [[1969]]. They have two sons, Giorgio and Antonio. He and his family still live in [[Bologna]]. Prodi is a devout [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]].[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/299254.stm BBC News — Romano Prodi] ==Academic career== After completing his secondary education at the Liceo Ludovico Ariosto in Reggio Emilia, Prodi graduated in law at the [[Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore|Sacro Cuore Catholic University of Milan]] in 1961 and carried out postgraduate studies at the [[London School of Economics and Political Science]]. In [[1963]] he became a [[teaching assistant]] for [[Beniamino Andreatta]] in the department of economics and the faculty of [[Political Science]] of the [[University of Bologna]], then serving as associate professor (1966) and lastly professor (1971-1999) of industrial organisation and industrial policy. Prodi has also been a [[visiting professor]] at [[Harvard University]] and the [[Stanford Research Institute]]. His research covers mainly [[Competition regulator|competition regulations]] and the development of small and medium businesses. He is also interested in relations between states and markets and the dynamics of the different capitalistic models. Prodi has received close to a score of [[honorary degree]]s from institutions in Italy, the rest of Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. ==Politics== ===Beginnings=== [[Image:Bush_Persson_Prodi.jpg|thumb|right|Prodi poses with [[Sweden|Swedish]] Prime Minister [[Göran Persson]] and [[George W. Bush]] at [[Gunnebo Slott]] near [[Gothenburg]], Sweden, [[June 14]] [[2001]].]] Prodi used to be a left-wing reformist [[Christian Democracy (Italy)|Christian Democrat]] and disciple of [[Beniamino Andreatta]], another economist turned politician. During the mid-1970s, he was appointed [[Political minister|Minister]] of Industry in 1978 during [[Giulio Andreotti]]'s government as ''technical minister''; he held posts on various commissions through the 1980s and early 1990s. On [[April 2]], [[1978]], Prodi and other members of the faculty of the [[University of Bologna]] passed on a tip about a [[safe house]] where [[Aldo Moro]], the former Prime Minister kidnapped by the [[Red Brigades]], was detained. Bizarrely, Prodi claimed he had been given the tip by the founders of the [[Christian Democratic]] Party, contacted from beyond the grave via a [[séance]] and a [[Ouija|Ouija board]]. While Prodi thought the word [[Gradoli]] referred to a town on the outskirts of [[Rome]], it likely referred to the Roman address of a BR safehouse, located at via Gradoli 96. Later, other Italian members of the [[European Commission]] claimed that Prodi had invented this story to conceal the real source of the tip, which they believed to have originated in the Italian extraparliamentary left. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/eurocommission/Story/0,2763,206412,00.html] Prodi served as chairman of the powerful state-owned industrial holding company IRI - from 1982 to 1989 and again from 1993 to 1994. He twice came under investigation for alleged corruption while he was head of IRI. He was accused of conflict of interest first in connection with contracts awarded to his own economic research company, and secondly over the sale of the loss making state owned food conglomerate SME to the multinational Unilever - for which he had for a time been a paid consultant; but, for both accusations, he obtained a full acquittal. ===The Olive Tree=== In 1995 he became Chairman of the centre-left [[Olive Tree]] coalition, and in [[Italian general election, 1996|the 1996 election]] defeated [[Silvio Berlusconi]] and the [[House of Freedoms|Pole of Freedoms]], being consequently appointed as [[Prime Minister of Italy|Prime Minister]]. His government fell in 1998 when the [[Communist Refoundation Party]] withdrew support, allowing the formation of a new government under [[Massimo D'Alema]] (many claim that D'Alema caused the collapse of Prodi in order to become Prime Minister himself). This happened by only one vote in the [[Italian Chamber of Deputies|Chamber of Deputies]] in the vote of a ''mozione di sfiducia'', an act with which either House of [[Italian Parliamant|Parliament]] can withdraw its support to the Government (it has been the first and so far the only time such a vote has been called in the history of republican [[Italy]], many Governments having fallen by dimission after the rejection of an important bill, such as the general budget of the State). ===European time=== [[Image:Ortoli Prodi Barroso Delors.jpg|thumb|right|Prodi with [[François-Xavier Ortoli]], [[José Manuel Barroso]] and [[Jacques Delors]]]] Prodi, a well-known European Union supporter, was appointed on September 1999 as the [[President of the European Commission]], with a large support from both Christian Democrat and Social Democrat European parties. During his presidency, in [[2002]] eleven EU countries officially adopted [[euro]] as their new currency, replacing a number of national currencies. Successively, in [[2004]] the European Union was enlarged to several Eastern Europe countries, most of them formerly part of the communist bloc. Prodi's mandate expired [[18 November]] [[2004]]. ===Back to Italian politics=== [[Image:ProdiBari.jpg|left|thumb|Romano Prodi campaigning in [[Bari]] for the [[Italian general election, 2006|2006 general election]]]] After the end of his time at the Presidency of the European Commission, Prodi returned back to Italian politics at the helm of the centre-left coalition, [[The Union (political coalition)|The Union]]. In order to officially state his candidacy for the [[Italian general election, 2006|2006 general election]], Prodi agreed to participate in an apposite primary election, held on October 2005, which he won with over 70% of votes. Over four million people for the occasion went to cast a vote in the primary election. He thus led his coalition to the electoral campaign preceding the election, eventually won by a very narrow margin of 25,000 votes, and a final majority of two seats in the [[Senate of Italy|Senate]], on April 10. Prodi's appointment was somewhat delayed, as the outgoing President of the Republic, [[Carlo Azeglio Ciampi]], ended his mandate in May, not having enough time for the usual procedure (consultations made by the President, appointment of a Prime Minister, motion of confidence and oath of office). After the acrimonious [[Italian presidential election, 2006|election]] of [[Giorgio Napolitano]] to replace Ciampi, Prodi could proceed with his transition to government. On [[May 16]] he was invited by Napolitano to form a government. The following day, Prodi and his cabinet were sworn in. ===In power once more=== Romano Prodi and his cabinet were sworn in on [[17 May]], [[2006]]. Prodi's cabinet drew in politicians from across his centre-left winning coalition, in addition to [[Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa]], an unelected former official of the [[European Central Bank]] with no partisan membership. Romano Prodi obtained the support for his cabinet on 19 May at the [[Senate of Italy|Senate]] and on 23 May at the [[Italian Chamber of Deputies|Chamber of Deputies]]. Also on May 18, Prodi laid out some sense of his new [[foreign policy]] when he pledged to withdraw Italian troops from [[Iraq]] and called the [[Iraq war]] a "grave mistake that has not solved but increased the problem of security". [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1778041,00.html (Guardian)]
{| class="wikitable" |- !colspan=3|The Prodi II Cabinet |- !Ministry !Minister !Party |- |width="47%" align="left"|Prime Minister |width="26%" align="left"|Romano Prodi |width="27%" align="left"|No affiliation (on [[Olive Tree]] list) |- |width="47%" align="left"|Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs |width="26%" align="left"|[[Massimo D'Alema]] |width="27%" align="left"|[[Democrats of the Left|DS]] |- |width="47%" align="left"|Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture and Tourism |width="26%" align="left"|[[Francesco Rutelli]] |width="27%" align="left"|[[Daisy—Democracy is Freedom|Daisy]] |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of the Interior |width="26%" align="left"|[[Giuliano Amato]] |width="27%" align="left"|No affiliation (on Olive Tree list) |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Economy and Finance |width="26%" align="left"|[[Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa]] |width="27%" align="left"|No affiliation (''"technical" appointee'') |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Defence |width="26%" align="left"|[[Arturo Parisi]] |width="27%" align="left"|Daisy |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Justice |width="26%" align="left"|[[Clemente Mastella]] |width="27%" align="left"|[[Popular-UDEUR|UDEUR]] |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Economic Development |width="26%" align="left"|[[Pier Luigi Bersani]] |width="27%" align="left"|DS |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Infrastructures |width="26%" align="left"|[[Antonio Di Pietro]] |width="27%" align="left"|[[Italy of Values]] |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Agriculture |width="26%" align="left"|[[Paolo De Castro]] |width="27%" align="left"|No affiliation (on Olive Tree list) |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Education |width="26%" align="left"|[[Giuseppe Fioroni]] |width="27%" align="left"|Daisy |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of University and Research |width="26%" align="left"|[[Fabio Mussi]] |width="27%" align="left"|DS |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Health |width="26%" align="left"|[[Livia Turco]] |width="27%" align="left"|DS |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Communications |width="26%" align="left"|[[Paolo Gentiloni]] |width="27%" align="left"|Daisy |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Labour |width="26%" align="left"|[[Cesare Damiano]] |width="27%" align="left"|DS |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Social Solidarity |width="26%" align="left"|[[Paolo Ferrero]] |width="27%" align="left"|[[Communist Refoundation Party|Communist Refoundation]] |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Environment |width="26%" align="left"|[[Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio]] |width="27%" align="left"|[[Federation of the Greens|Greens]] |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of Transports |width="26%" align="left"|[[Alessandro Bianchi]] |width="27%" align="left"|No affiliation (on [[Party of Italian Communists|PdCI]] list) |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister of European Politics and International Trade |width="26%" align="left"|[[Emma Bonino]] |width="27%" align="left"|[[Rose in the Fist]] |- |width="47%" align="left"|[[Minister without Portfolio|Minister without portfolio]] (Reforms, Parliamentary Relations) |width="26%" align="left"|[[Vannino Chiti]] |width="27%" align="left"|DS |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister without portfolio (Public Functions, Innovation) |width="26%" align="left"|[[Luigi Nicolais]] |width="27%" align="left"|DS |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister without portfolio (Regional Affairs) |width="26%" align="left"|[[Linda Lanzillotta]] |width="27%" align="left"|Daisy |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister without portfolio (Platform Accomplishment) |width="26%" align="left"|[[Giulio Santagata]] |width="27%" align="left"|Daisy |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister without portfolio (Equal Opportunities) |width="26%" align="left"|[[Barbara Pollastrini]] |width="27%" align="left"|DS |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister without portfolio (Youth Politics, Sports) |width="26%" align="left"|[[Giovanna Melandri]] |width="27%" align="left"|DS |- |width="47%" align="left"|Minister without portfolio (Family) |width="26%" align="left"|[[Rosy Bindi]] |width="27%" align="left"|Daisy |} ==See also== *[[Community Patent]] *[[EU enlargement]] *[[Euro|Euro launch]] *[[European constitution]] *[[Italian general elections, 2006]] *[[Lisbon Agenda]] *[[Prodi Commission]] == Notes ==
==External links== {{Commons|Category:Romano Prodi}} *[http://www.romanoprodi.it Personal website] *[http://europa.eu.int/comm/archives/commission_1999_2004/prodi/index_en.htm Official Site of the President of the European Commission] - Includes a curriculum vitae, from which some of the information in this article was drawn *[http://europa.eu.int/comm/archives/commission_1999_2004/prodi/news_en.htm#sme Clarifying the SME case] {{start box}} {{succession box | title = [[Prime Minister of Italy]] | before = [[Lamberto Dini]] | after = [[Massimo D'Alema]] | years = 1996–1998 }} {{succession box | title = [[President of the European Commission]] | before = [[Manuel Marín]] | after = [[José Manuel Durão Barroso]] | years = 1999–2004 }} {{incumbent succession box | title = [[Prime Minister of Italy]] | before = [[Silvio Berlusconi]] | start = 2006 }} {{end box}} {{Presidents of the European Commission}} {{ItalianPrimeMinisters}} [[Category:Current national leaders|Prodi, Romano]] [[Category:Prime Ministers of Italy|Prodi, Romano]] [[Category:Presidents of the European Commission|Prodi, Romano]] [[Category:Italian economists|Prodi, Romano]] [[Category:Italian academics|Prodi, Romano]] [[Category:Roman Catholic politicians|Prodi, Romano]] [[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics|Prodi, Romano]] [[Category:Natives of Emilia-Romagna|Prodi, Romano]] [[Category:1939 births|Prodi, Romano]] [[Category:Living people|Prodi, Romano]] [[ast:Romano Prodi]] [[zh-min-nan:Romano Prodi]] [[br:Romano Prodi]] [[ca:Romano Prodi]] [[cs:Romano Prodi]] [[cy:Romano Prodi]] [[da:Romano Prodi]] [[de:Romano Prodi]] [[et:Romano Prodi]] [[es:Romano Prodi]] [[eo:Romano Prodi]] [[fa:رومانو پرودی]] [[fr:Romano Prodi]] [[ga:Romano Prodi]] [[gl:Romano Prodi]] [[id:Romano Prodi]] [[is:Romano Prodi]] [[it:Romano Prodi]] [[he:רומנו פרודי]] [[ka:პროდი, რომანო]] [[la:Romanus Prode]] [[lt:Romanas Prodis]] [[nap:Romano Prodi]] [[nl:Romano Prodi]] [[ja:ロマーノ・プローディ]] [[no:Romano Prodi]] [[nn:Romano Prodi]] [[pl:Romano Prodi]] [[pt:Romano Prodi]] [[ro:Romano Prodi]] [[ru:Проди, Романо]] [[sk:Romano Prodi]] [[sl:Romano Prodi]] [[sr:Романо Проди]] [[fi:Romano Prodi]] [[sv:Romano Prodi]] [[vi:Romano Prodi]] [[zh:罗马诺·普罗迪]]