Romano Prodi
| Romano Prodi | |
| Order: | 10th President of the European Commission |
|---|---|
| Term of Office | September 1999-30 October, 2004 |
| Predecessor: | Jacques Santer |
| Successor: | José Durão Barroso |
| Date of Birth | 9 August 1939 |
| Place of Birth: | Scandiano, Reggio Emilia |
| Wife: | |
| Occupation: | Professor |
| Political Party: | Ulivo coalition |
Romano Prodi (Scandiano, Reggio Emilia August 9, 1939) is an Italian politician and President of the European Commission. He earned a degree in law from the Catholic University of Milan and later studied at the London School of Economics. This began a career in Italy's academia as a professor and researcher in Economics, which included brief visiting appointments at Stanford and Harvard universities in the United States.
During the mid-1970s, he began to enter Italian politics, and was appointed Minister of Industry in 1978; he held posts on various commissions through the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1995 he became Chairman of the centre-left Ulivo coalition, and in 1996 Prime Minister, a position he held until 1998.
From September 1999 until November 1, 2004 he was the President of the European Commission. He actually remained in office a further two weeks because of his successor, José Durão Barroso of Portugal encountered difficulties in the ratification of his council of ministers.
As leader of Italy's Ulivio coalition, Prodi currently leads the opposition to Silvio Berlusconi's governing coalition (the house of liberties). Prodi is expexted to lead the Ulivo coalition in the 2006 general election campaign.
See also
External link
- Official Site of the President of the European Commission - Includes a curriculum vitae, from which some of the information in this article was drawn