Paolo Gentiloni
Paolo Gentiloni is an Italian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2016 to 2018 and is currently the European Commissioner for the Economy. Born on November 22, 1954, in Rome, Gentiloni was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family within the Italian aristocracy. He studied political science in the 1970s and initially pursued a career in journalism before entering politics in 1993. Gentiloni's political career gained momentum after he was elected to the Italian Parliament in 2001, representing the center-left Margherita party, which later merged into the Democratic Party.
As foreign minister from 2014 to 2016, Gentiloni managed significant challenges, including the conflict in Libya and the European refugee crisis. His appointment as prime minister followed the resignation of Matteo Renzi, amidst rising nationalism and political instability. During his tenure, Gentiloni focused on strengthening Italy's international relationships and addressing domestic issues, particularly in the banking sector. After leaving office, he took on the role of EU Economy Chief, where he has been involved in economic recovery efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing challenges related to inflation and geopolitical tensions. Gentiloni is married to architect Emanuela Mauro.
Paolo Gentiloni
- Born: November 22, 1954
- Place of Birth: Rome, Italy
- Prime Minister of Italy
- Significance: Paolo Gentiloni was the prime minister of Italy from 2016 to 2018, member of the Chamber of Deputies of Parliament from 2001 to 2019, and the European Commissioner for the Economy beginning in 2019. He was relatively unknown internationally before he took the position of prime minister, though he served as the Italian foreign minister from 2014 to 2016 and was a member of the Italian Parliament.
Background
Paolo Gentiloni was born in Rome, Italy, on November 22, 1954. He was born into a devout Roman Catholic family that was part of the Italian aristocracy. He attended university and studied political science in the 1970s. At that time, Gentiloni was interested in left-leaning politics. After college, Gentiloni became a journalist, focusing on political and social matters. He was an editor from 1992 to 1994 at the environmental magazine La Nuova Ecologia. In 1993, he entered politics officially when he helped organize the campaign for Francesco Rutelli, a leftist politician. Rutelli’s campaign for mayor of Rome was successful.
Life’s Work
After Gentiloni was involved in a successful political campaign, he wanted to run for office himself. In 2001, he was elected to the Italian Parliament for the first time. He was part of the Margherita (Daisy) party, which was a center-left political party that eventually became part of the Democratic Party. Although Gentiloni was known for his left-leaning politics, his views moderated somewhat throughout this career. Yet, he was still known as a watchdog when conservative prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was in power. From 2006 to 2008, Gentiloni served as a communications director for Romano Prodi, who was then Italy’s prime minister.
Gentiloni allied himself with a politician named Matteo Renzi in 2012, whom he backed to become the leader of the Democratic Party. This alliance would benefit Gentiloni and accumulate his political power. In 2013, Gentiloni ran a campaign for the mayor of Rome. His bid was unsuccessful, and he came in third place during the primary. Gentiloni’s fortune changed the next year, however, when Renzi, who had become prime minister, chose him to serve as the Italian minister of foreign affairs. Gentiloni did not have experience in foreign relations, and his appointment to the important position surprised many people. Many critics theorized that Renzi was rewarding Gentiloni for his loyalty. Despite Gentiloni’s lack of experience, many in the government believed he was a good foreign minister. He dealt skillfully with important issues, such as a war in neighboring Libya and the Syrian refugee crisis.
Prime Minister Renzi led a campaign for constitutional reform in 2016. The referendum failed dramatically, and Renzi resigned from his position as prime minister. The failure of the referendum was seen as an indication of rising nationalism in Italy and of Renzi’s declining popularity. Renzi remained the leader of the Democratic Party and made it clear he would most likely run for prime minister again in the future. After Renzi’s defeat, Italian President Sergio Mattarella named Gentiloni prime minister. Experts believed Gentiloni was named to the position because of his strong support for Renzi and because Renzi believed Gentiloni was not a threat to his becoming prime minister again in the future. The opposition Five Star Movement Party accused Gentiloni of being a puppet for Renzi.
A few days after Mattarella’s announcement of Gentiloni as Renzi’s replacement, the Italian Parliament approved the government led by Gentiloni. Gentiloni created a government that was very similar to Renzi’s, including many of the same ministers.
Gentiloni gave his first speech as prime minister on December 13, 2016. The speech was uneventful and seemed to cement the public’s ideas that Gentiloni would be a quiet leader. When Gentiloni was named prime minister, Italy was facing a number of crises. Gentiloni was the fifth prime minister in the country in as many years. The country also faced a banking crisis, and tensions around Europe rose as nationalism became popular. Furthermore, the Five Star Movement pledged not to work with Gentiloni. The party said that Gentiloni did not have the backing of Italian citizens, and they did not want to help him pass laws. Although Gentiloni faced a number of challenges, he quickly started working with other national leaders in the European Union, such as French president Emmanuel Macron. In early 2017, Gentiloni underwent an emergency angioplasty to unblock a blood vessel. The procedure was successful, and Gentiloni was back performing his duties within a few days. In 2018, Prime Minister Gentiloni stepped down, and in 2019, he became the European Union (EU) Economy Chief, a position he remained in as of 2024. In 2020, Gentiloni was nominated to lead the Commission's COVID-19 task force, forming economic plans for recovery following the pandemic. As EU Economy Chief, he grappled with inflation and challenges caused by Russia's war with Ukraine.
Impact
Gentiloni had a quiet, uneventful political career until he was named prime minister in 2016. During his time as prime minister, he had to oversee a number of important international relationships and domestic challenges. Gentiloni welcomed American president Donald Trump, who was known for his nationalism and protectionism, to Italy in 2017. Gentiloni used the opportunity to urge President Trump to allow America to accept more refugees, who had been streaming from Syria and other parts of the Middle East to Europe for years. Gentiloni also used the visit to try to cement a positive relationship with the United States.
Gentiloni had an important impact during his time as prime minister on the Italian banking sector, which had suffered since the late 2000s. Gentiloni had to try to shore up the banking system and try to appease Italian citizens, who did not want their tax dollars used to fund the failing banks. Despite the misgivings of Italian citizens, Gentiloni’s government invested billions of euros to keep Italian banks from failing.
Personal Life
Gentiloni is married to Emanuela Mauro, an architect.
Bibliography
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Dewan, Angela, et al. “Italy’s Foreign Minister Gentiloni Appointed Prime Minister-Designate.” CNN, 11 Dec. 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/12/11/europe/italy-prime-minister-gentiloni-appointed/index.html. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
Follain, John, and Lorenzo Totaro. “Italy’s New Government Embarks on Toxic Road to Rescue Banks.” Bloomberg, 19 Dec. 2016, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-19/italy-s-new-government-embarks-on-toxic-road-to-rescue-banks. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
“Italy’s Prime Minister Lobbies Trump to Open US to More Migrants.” USA Today, 24 May 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/05/24/italy-prime-minister-lobbies-trump-migrants/102103516. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
Iordache, Ruxandra. "Europe’s Economy Survived ‘Terrible Prophecies’ But Must Now Tackle Trade with China: EU’s Gentiloni." CNBC, 7 Sept. 2024, www.cnbc.com/2024/09/07/eu-economy-survived-terrible-prophecies-now-faces-trade-with-china-eus-gentiloni.html. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
Kirchgaessner, Stephanie. “Paolo Gentiloni to Succeed Matteo Renzi as Italian Prime Minister.” Guardian, 11 Dec. 2016, www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/11/italy-paolo-gentiloni-to-succeed-matteo-renzi-as-prime-minister. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
Marchetti, Silvia. “Italy Has a New Government. Don’t Expect It to Last Long.” Time, 4 Dec. 2016, time.com/4601874/paolo-gentiloni-government-italy. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
“Paolo Gentiloni Commissioner (2019-2024).” European Commission, commissioners.ec.europa.eu/paolo-gentiloni‗en. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
“Paolo Gentiloni, Italian Foreign Minister, Appointed PM.” BBC, 11 Dec. 2016, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38281643. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
“Paolo Gentiloni, Italy’s Gentleman Prime Minister.” Economist, 15 Dec. 2016, www.economist.com/news/europe/21711933-matteo-renzis-successor-may-only-be-keeping-seat-warm-his-return-paolo-gentiloni-italys. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
Scherer, Steve, and Antonella Cinelli. “Italian PM Gentiloni’s Heart Procedure Completely Successful: Doctors.” Reuters, 11 Jan. 2017, www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-politics-gentiloni/italian-pm-gentilonis-heart-procedure-completely-successful-doctors-idUSKBN14V0Q5. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
Zampano, Giada. “Italy’s Prime Minister Names Paolo Gentiloni as Foreign Minister.” Wall Street Journal, 31 Oct. 2014, www.wsj.com/articles/italys-prime-minister-names-paolo-gentiloni-as-foreign-minister-1414783315. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.