Paolo Gentiloni

Paolo Gentiloni
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
31 October 2014
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi
Preceded by Federica Mogherini
Minister of Communications
In office
17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008
Prime Minister Romano Prodi
Preceded by Mario Landolfi
Succeeded by Claudio Scajola (Economic Development)
Personal details
Born 22 November 1954
Rome, Italy
Political party The Daisy (2002–2007)
Democratic Party (2007–present)
Alma mater Sapienza University
Religion Roman Catholicism[1]

Paolo Gentiloni (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpaːolo dʒentiˈloːni]; born 22 November 1954 in Rome) is an Italian politician, member of the Democratic Party party and Minister of Foreign Affairs since 31 October 2014.[2] He was also Minister of Communications during the government of Romano Prodi.

Early life and family

A descendant of Count Gentiloni Silverj, he is related to Italian politician Vincenzo Ottorino Gentiloni, leader of the right-wing Catholic Electoral Union. He has the title of Nobile of Filottrano, Nobile of Cingoli and Nobile of Macerata.

He attended the Classical Lyceum Torquato Tasso in Rome and graduated in political sciences at the La Sapienza University; Gentiloni is a professional journalist.

Political career

Gentiloni was a member of the Student Movement (Movimento Studentesco), a left-wing youth organization led by Mario Capanna; when Capanna founded Proletarian Democracy party, Gentiloni did not follow him, and joined the Workers' Movement for Socialism.

In 1993 he became Francesco Rutelli’s spokesman and was Jubilee and Tourism Councillor in the Rome City Council. He has coordinated numerous election campaigns and in 2002 he was a founding member of the The Daisy party. He was the party’s communications spokesman for five years.[3]

After the 2001 general election, he was elected Member of Parliament and during the XIV legislature he was Chairman of the Broadcasting Services Watchdog Committee. He was re-elected in the 2006 election as a member of The Olive Tree, the political coalition led by the Bolognese economist Romano Prodi, who had been Prime Minister also between 1996 and 1998. After the centre-left's victory Gentiloni has been appointed Minister for Communications in Prodi second government.

Gentiloni was one of the 45 members of the national founding committee of the Democratic Party in 2007, formed by the union of the democratic socialists Democrats of the Left and the Christian leftist The Daisy. He was re-elected in the 2008 general election, which saw the win of the conservative coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi.

On April 6, 2013, he run in the primary election to select the center-left candidate for Mayor of Rome, arriving third after Ignazio Marino, who will become Mayor and the journalist David Sassoli.[4]

Gentiloni was elected again the Chamber of Deputies in the 2013 general election, in the centre-left coalition Italy. Common Good led by Pier Luigi Bersani, Secretary of the PD.

In 2013, after Bersani's resignation as Secretary, Gentiloni supported the young Mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, in the primary election.

Foreign Affairs Minister

On October 31, 2014 he was appointed Foreign Affairs Minister by the Prime Minister Matteo Renzi; Gentiloni succeeded Federica Mogherini, who became High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.[5]

On February 13, 2015 during an interview on Sky TG24 Gentiloni stated that "if needed, Italy will be ready to fight in Libya against the Islamic State, because the Italian government can not accept the idea that there is an active terrorist threat only a few hours from Italy by boat."[6] The following day Gentiloni was threatened by ISIL, which accused him of being a crusader, minister of an enemy country.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "L'ascesa di Paolo Gentiloni, dalla Margherita alla Farnesina" [Paolo Gentiloni's rise: from the Daisy to the Farnesina]. La Repubblica (in Italian) (Rome: Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso). 31 October 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  2. ↑ Chi è Paolo Gentiloni, nuovo ministro degli esteri
  3. ↑ Profilo personale.
  4. ↑ Primarie Pd, a Roma stravince Marino: secondo Sassoli, terzo Gentiloni
  5. ↑ Gentiloni giura al Quirinale, è il nuovo ministro degli Esteri: "Governo dev'essere all'altezza"
  6. ↑ Italy "ready to fight" in Libya if needed - foreign minister
  7. ↑ Terrorismo, radio dello Stato islamico cita Gentiloni: "Ministro dell'Italia crociata"

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Mario Landolfi		 Minister of Communications
2006–2008 		Succeeded by
Claudio Scajola
as Minister of Economic Development
Preceded by
Federica Mogherini		 Minister of Foreign Affairs
2014–present 		Incumbent