Romano Prodi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Romano Prodi OMRI
Prodi in 2004
President of the European Commission
In office 16 September 1999 – 21 November 2004
Vice President	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	Manuel Marín
Succeeded by	José Manuel Barroso
Prime Minister of Italy
In office 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008
President	Giorgio Napolitano
Deputy	Massimo D'Alema Francesco Rutelli
Preceded by	Silvio Berlusconi
Succeeded by	Silvio Berlusconi
In office 18 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
President	Oscar Luigi Scalfaro
Deputy	Walter Veltroni
Preceded by	Lamberto Dini
Succeeded by	Massimo D'Alema
President of the Democratic Party
In office 14 October 2007 – 16 April 2008
Secretary	Walter Veltroni
Preceded by	Office Created
Succeeded by	Rosy Bindi
Minister of Industry, Commerce and Crafts
In office 25 November 1978 – 21 March 1979
Prime Minister	Giulio Andreotti
Preceded by	Carlo Donat-Cattin
Succeeded by	Franco Nicolazzi
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 28 April 2006 – 28 April 2008
Constituency	Emilia-Romagna
In office 9 May 1996 – 16 September 1996
Constituency	Bologna
Personal details
Born	Romano Antonio Prodi (1939-08-09) 9 August 1939 (age 85) Scandiano, Kingdom of Italy
Political party	Christian Democracy (1963–1994) Italian People's Party (1994–1996) Independent (1996–1999, 2002–2007; since 2013) The Democrats (1999–2002) Democratic Party (2007–2013)
Other political affiliations	The Olive Tree (1995–2007) The Union (2005–2007)
Spouse	Flavia Franzoni ​ ​ (m. 1969; her death 2023)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore London School of Economics
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Romano Prodi (born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician. He was the President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He also served as Prime Minister of Italy twice. His first term was from 1996 to 1998, and his second was from 2006 to 2008.

Many people see Prodi as the founder of Italy's modern centre-left politics. He is often called Il Professore ("The Professor") because he used to teach at a university. Before becoming a politician, he was a professor of economics.

Prodi led a group of parties called The Olive Tree. They won the 1996 election. He became prime minister but lost a vote of confidence in 1998. After this, he became the President of the European Commission in 1999.

In 2006, he led a new group called The Union. They won the 2006 election against Silvio Berlusconi's party. Prodi became prime minister for the second time. He lost another vote of confidence in 2008 and resigned. He stayed in office for a few months until new elections were held. Prodi was the first left-leaning candidate to win an Italian general election since 1921.

In 2007, Prodi helped create the Democratic Party and became its first president. In 2008, the United Nations chose him to lead a group focused on peacekeeping in Africa. Since 2021, he has been a special envoy for the Sahel region for the UN.

Early Life & Family

Prodi was born in Scandiano, Italy, in 1939. He was the eighth of nine children. His father, Mario Prodi, was an engineer. His mother, Enrichetta, was an elementary school teacher. Many of his brothers became university professors. These include Giovanni (mathematics), Vittorio Prodi (physics), Paolo Prodi (history), Franco (atmospheric physics), and Giorgio Prodi (pathology).

In 1969, Prodi married Flavia Franzoni. She was a student who later became an economist and university professor. They had two sons, Giorgio and Antonio. Flavia passed away in 2023.

Academic Career

Prodi finished high school in Reggio Emilia. He then studied law at Milan's Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and graduated in 1961. His main paper was about how protectionism helped Italian industry grow. After this, he continued his studies at the London School of Economics.

Prodi has received nearly 20 honorary degrees. These are special awards from universities in Italy, Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa.

Early Political Career

Minister of Industry

Prodi with Sandro Pertini and Giulio Andreotti in 1978

On 25 November 1978, Prodi became the Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Crafts. He served in the government led by Giulio Andreotti, a leader of the Christian Democracy party. Even though Prodi was a party member, he was seen as a technical expert. As minister, he helped create a law called the Prodi law. This law helped large companies in trouble get back on track.

Business & Public Service

After leaving his government role in 1989, Prodi managed a consulting company in Bologna. He owned this company with his wife.

Leading the IRI

In 1993, Prodi was again chosen to be the President of the IRI. The IRI was a large state-owned company in Italy. During this time, he managed the sale of many public companies to private owners. This process is called privatization.

First Time as Prime Minister (1996–1998)

On 25 May 1994, Prodi resigned as IRI President. He then decided to enter politics.

Forming The Olive Tree & Winning the 1996 Election

Prodi during the electoral campaign in 1996

On 13 February 1995, Prodi started a political group called The Olive Tree. His goal was to bring together centre and left-wing parties. This group was formed to oppose the centre-right alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. Soon, many parties joined The Olive Tree. These included the Democratic Party of the Left, the Italian People's Party, and the Federation of the Greens.

In the 1996 election, Prodi's Olive Tree coalition won. It was the first time a group including a former communist party won a general election since World War II. The Olive Tree gained a majority in the Senate. In the Chamber of Deputies, they needed support from the Communist Refoundation Party. On 17 May 1996, Prodi was asked to form a new government. His cabinet had 23 members, including many from the Democratic Party of the Left.

Key Policies

Prodi's main goal was to improve Italy's economy. He wanted Italy to meet the strict rules of the European Monetary System. This would allow Italy to join the Euro currency. He achieved this goal in just over six months.

During his first time as prime minister, Prodi dealt with unrest in Albania in 1997. His government suggested sending a multinational peacekeeping force called Operation Alba ("Sunrise") to Albania. This force, led by Italy, aimed to help the Albanian government restore order after a rebellion.

Prodi with United States Secretary of Defence William Cohen

The UN Security Council approved this mission. Italy's 3rd Army Corps led Operation Alba. Eleven European nations helped by bringing humanitarian aid to Albania. In 1997, Prodi said that the country's main safety problem was no longer from outside, but from within. It was about the safety of citizens in their daily lives.

Resignation

Prodi's government ended in 1998. The Communist Refoundation Party stopped supporting his government. This led to a new government being formed, led by Massimo D'Alema. This was the first time in Italy's history that a government fell because of a vote of no confidence.

President of the European Commission (1999–2004)

Official portrait of Prodi as President of the European Commission, 1999

In September 1999, Prodi became the President of the European Commission. He strongly supported European Integration. He received support from various political groups in the European Parliament.

His team, called the Prodi Commission, started its work on 13 September 1999. This was after a previous scandal had damaged the Commission's reputation. The Commission began with 20 members, called Commissioners. This number grew to 30 after the Enlargement of the European Union in 2004. This was the last time larger member states had two Commissioners. The Commission gained more power after the Amsterdam Treaty. Some media even called Prodi the first "Prime Minister of the European Union".

The Euro & Treaties

During Prodi's time as president, in 2002, eleven EU countries stopped using their national money. They started using the euro as their common currency.

The Amsterdam Treaty was signed in 1997 and increased the Commission's power. Under this treaty, countries agreed to give some powers to the European Parliament. These powers covered areas like immigration, laws, and foreign policy. This also helped prepare for new countries joining the EU.

The Prodi Commission also saw the signing of the Treaty of Nice in 2001. This treaty changed the structure of the European Union. It helped the EU prepare for more countries joining from Eastern Europe. The treaty was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001. It became law on 1 February 2003.

Prodi with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2000

Prodi with French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin in 2001

Prodi with U.S. President George W. Bush and Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson at the EU–US Summit in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2001

Prodi with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in 2004

Prodi with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2004

EU Expansion & End of Term

In 2004, during Prodi's last year, the European Union grew significantly. Several new countries joined, many of them from the former Soviet bloc. This was the largest expansion of the EU in terms of land, number of states, and people. It happened on 1 May 2004.

The countries that joined were Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Seven of these were from the former Eastern Bloc. Two were Mediterranean islands and former British colonies.

The 2007 enlargement of the European Union included Bulgaria and Romania. They joined later but were part of the same expansion wave. Prodi's term was supposed to end on 31 October 2004. However, due to some disagreements, it was extended. He finally left office on 21 November 2004. After his term, Prodi returned to Italian politics.

Return to Italian Politics (2005–2006)

The Union Primary Election

Before his term as President of the European Commission ended, Prodi decided to return to Italian politics. He led a larger centre-left group called The Union.

Prodi in Bari during the electoral campaign

Prodi did not have his own political party. To become a candidate for the 2006 general election, he came up with the idea of a primary election. This was the first time such an election was held in Europe. Prodi saw it as a way to involve the public more in Italian politics.

When the primary elections were first suggested, they were mainly meant for Romano Prodi to be chosen. There were no other candidates at first. But then, other leaders decided to run. These included Fausto Bertinotti, Clemente Mastella, Antonio Di Pietro, and Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio.

Many expected Prodi to win easily. The other candidates mostly wanted to see how much support they had. Most party leaders thought that one million voters would be a good result. However, over four million people voted in the primary election.

Second Time as Prime Minister (2006–2008)

Italian 2006 General Election

After winning the primary election, Prodi led The Union coalition in the 2006 election. The Union was a mix of different parties. It included centrist parties and communist parties.

Prodi led his coalition during the election campaign. On 9 and 10 April, they won by a very small number of votes. They had a majority of two seats in the Senate. Early results suggested Prodi would win, and on 11 April 2006, he declared victory.

The final results showed The Union leading in the Chamber of Deputies. They had 340 seats compared to 277 for Berlusconi's group. This was thanks to a special bonus for the winning coalition. The Union also won enough seats in the Senate to control both parts of Parliament.

On 19 April 2006, Italy's Supreme Court confirmed that Prodi had won the election. He won the Chamber of Deputies by only 24,755 votes out of over 38 million. Berlusconi did not accept the defeat, claiming there was fraud, but this was not proven.

Forming the Government

Prodi's appointment was delayed a bit. The outgoing president, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, was ending his term. After Giorgio Napolitano was elected as the new president, Prodi could form his government. On 16 May, Napolitano asked Prodi to form a government. The next day, 17 May 2006, Prodi and his second cabinet were sworn into office.

Prodi's new government included politicians from all parts of his centre-left coalition. It also included Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, an expert from the European Central Bank who was not a politician. Prodi's government received support in the Senate on 19 May and in the Chamber of Deputies on 23 May.

His coalition had a good majority in the Chamber of Deputies because of the election law. However, they had a very small majority in the Senate. The coalition was made up of very different parties. These included communist parties and parties inspired by the Catholic Church. This made it hard to agree on some key areas, like the economy or foreign policy.

Foreign Policy

Prodi at the Helligendamm G8 Summit, June 2007

In foreign policy, Prodi's second government continued to be involved in Afghanistan under UN command. However, they pulled troops out of Iraq on 18 May 2006. Prodi said that the Iraq War was a "serious mistake" that made security problems worse.

Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema worked on the situation after the 2006 Lebanon War. Italy was the first country to offer troops to the UN for the UNIFIL force. Italy took command of this force in February 2007. Prodi played a key role in creating this multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

Italy led talks with Israel and was asked by Israel to lead the mission. Prodi and D'Alema said Italy was ready to enforce the United Nations resolution on Lebanon. They urged other European Union countries to do the same. They believed stability in the Middle East was very important for Europeans.

Government Challenges

Prodi's government faced challenges in early 2007, after only nine months in office. Some ministers did not support funding for Italian troops in Afghanistan. Lawmakers approved expanding a US military base, but the vote was very close. This showed that there were disagreements within the coalition.

Many people protested in Vicenza against the base expansion. Some left-wing members of the government joined these protests. There were strong debates in the Italian Senate on 20 February 2007. Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said that if the government did not have enough support for its foreign policy, it would resign. The next day, the Senate did not approve a motion supporting Prodi's foreign policy. They were two votes short of the needed majority.

Prodi with President Giorgio Napolitano

After a government meeting on 21 February, Romano Prodi resigned to President Giorgio Napolitano. Prodi said he would only form a new government if he had the full support of all parties in his coalition. On 22 February, the centre-left parties agreed to a list of twelve conditions from Prodi. On 24 February, President Napolitano asked Prodi to stay in office. He had to face a vote of confidence in both houses of Parliament.

On 28 February, the Senate voted to support Prodi's government, with 162 votes to 157. On 2 March, he won the vote in the lower house with a large majority of 342 to 198.

On 14 October 2007, Prodi oversaw the joining of two main centre-left parties. These were the Democrats of the Left and Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy. They formed the Democratic Party. Prodi led this merger and became the party's first President. He resigned from this role on 16 April 2008, after the party lost the general election.

2008 Crisis & Resignation

In early 2008, Justice Minister Clemente Mastella resigned. His party, UDEUR, was important for Prodi's small majority in the Senate.

Mastella's party withdrew its support for the government. This was partly due to pressure from the Vatican. The Vatican did not like the government's proposed laws on same-sex partnerships and other liberal reforms. Mastella also felt that the other parties did not support him enough.

The UDEUR party leaving the coalition meant Prodi had to ask for a confidence vote. He won clearly in the Chamber of Deputies on 23 January. But he lost in the Senate the next day, with 156 votes to 161. So, he resigned as prime minister to President Giorgio Napolitano. Napolitano accepted his resignation.

Prodi said he would not try to lead a new government. New elections were called. In the election in April 2008, Berlusconi's centre-right party won against the Democratic Party.

After Being Prime Minister (2008–Present)

Prodi in 2010

On 19 March 2008, Prodi said he was done with Italian politics, and maybe politics in general.

On 12 September 2008, the UN named Prodi as the head of a joint AU-UN group. This group aimed to improve peacekeeping efforts in Africa.

In 2009, he became a Professor-at-Large at Brown University in the United States. Since 2010, Romano Prodi has led the Sino-European dialogue at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in China.

On 9 October 2012, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Prodi as his Special Envoy for the Sahel region. He held this position until 31 January 2014.

Prodi is also a member of the Club de Madrid. This is an international group of former democratic leaders. They work to make democratic governments and leadership stronger.

2013 Presidential Candidate

During the 2013 presidential election, some members of the Democratic Party wanted Prodi to become President of Italy. This happened after another candidate, Franco Marini, did not get enough votes. In the first three rounds of voting, Prodi received few votes.

On 16 April 2013, Prodi gave a special lecture at a university in Rome. He spoke about big changes in world politics and economy. A few days later, on 19 April, Prodi was seriously considered as a candidate. However, he announced he was leaving the race. This was because more than 100 centre-left voters did not vote for him. After this, Pier Luigi Bersani, the leader of the Democratic Party, resigned.

Electoral History

Election	House	Constituency	Party		Votes	Result
1996	Chamber of Deputies	Bologna–Mazzini		Ulivo	55,830	Y Elected
2006	Chamber of Deputies	Emilia-Romagna		Ulivo	–	Y Elected

First-past-the-post elections

Honours & Awards

•  Albania: Received a copy of the Key of the City of Tirana (2001)
•  France: Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (2013)
•  Italy: Knight of Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1993)
•  Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2012)
•  KSA: Grand Cordon of the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud (2007)
•  Latvia: First Class of the Order of the Three Stars (2007)
•  Poland: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (1997)
•  Romania: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania (2000)
•  Slovakia: Grand Cordon of the Order of the White Double Cross (2022)
•  Slovenia: First Class of the Order for Exceptional Merits (2005)
•  Spain: The Most Excellent Sir Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (1998)

Academic Awards

See also

In Spanish: Romano Prodi para niños

• Enlargement of the European Union
• Lisbon Agenda