Future Italy (''Italia Futura'', IF) was an Italian
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
-
centrist
Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the l ...
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
, formed in 2009 by
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman, former Chairman of Ferrari, and formerly Chairman of Fiat S.p.A. and President of Confindustria and FIEG. He comes from an aristocratic family from the region of Piedm ...
, chairman of
Alitalia
Alitalia - Società Aerea Italiana Società per azioni, S.p.A., operating as Alitalia (), was an Italian airline which was once the flag carrier and largest airline of Italy. The company had its head office in Fiumicino, Metropolitan City of ...
(since 2014) and former chairman of
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
(1991–2014),
FIAT
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
(2004–2010) and
Confindustria
The General Confederation of Italian Industry ( it, Confederazione generale dell'industria italiana), commonly known as Confindustria, is the Italy, Italian employers' federation and national chamber of commerce, founded in 1910. It groups togeth ...
(2004–2008).
Between 2013 and 2014, IF acted as a ''de facto'' internal faction of
Civic Choice
Civic Choice ( it, Scelta Civica; SC) was a centrist and liberal political party in Italy founded by Mario Monti. The party was formed in the run-up of the 2013 general election to support the outgoing Prime Minister Monti and continue his polit ...
, a centrist party launched by
Mario Monti
Mario Monti, (born 19 March 1943) is an Italian economist and academic who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, leading a technocratic government in the wake of the Italian debt crisis.
Monti served as a European Commiss ...
.
History
IF was launched in July 2009 by Montezemolo along with a substantial group of entrepreneurs, managers and intellectuals, notably including
Diego Della Valle
Diego Della Valle (born 30 December 1953) is the chairman of the Italian leather goods company '' Tod's''.
Biography Family, youth and studies
Diego Della Valle is the elder son of Dorino Della Valle and grandson of Filippo Della Valle. Fili ...
,
Maria Paola Merloni,
Gianni Punzo,
Corrado Passera
Corrado Passera (born 30 December 1954 in Como, Italy) is an Italian manager and banker who has held numerous executive-level positions in various industrial and financial sectors and served as minister of economic development and infrastruct ...
,
Luigi Marino
is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo's masc ...
,
Carlo Calenda
Carlo Calenda (born 9 April 1973) is an Italian business executive and politician. On 10 May 2016, he was appointed Minister of Economic Development in the government of Matteo Renzi and continued in that role in the government of Renzi's success ...
,
Andrea Romano,
Vittorio Emanuele Parsi
Vittorio is an Italian male given name which has roots from the Byzantine-Bulgarian name Victor.
People with the given name Vittorio include:
* Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, pretender to the former Kingdom of Italy
* Vittorio Adorni, pr ...
,
Stefano Dambruoso
Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...
,
Irene Tinagli
Irene Tinagli (born 16 April 1974) is an Italian economist and politician, who has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. She serves as chairwoman of the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.
Career
Tinag ...
,
Angelo Mellone, and
Michel Martone
Michel Martone (born 8 January 1974 in Nice) is an Italian jurist and academic. He was Deputy Minister for Labor and Welfare from 29 November 2011 to 28 April 2013. .
Romano, who was appointed IF director, was formerly close to
Massimo D'Alema
Massimo D'Alema (; born 20 April 1949) is an Italian politician and journalist who was the 53rd prime minister of Italy from 1998 to 2000. He was Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2008. D'Alema also serv ...
, and many of IF leading members came from the centre-left. A strong supporter of Montezemolo's project was
Massimo Cacciari
Massimo Cacciari (; born 5 June 1944) is an Italian philosopher, politician and public intellectual.
Biography
Born in Venice, Cacciari graduated in philosophy from the University of Padua (1967), where he also received his doctorate, writing a ...
, philosopher, three-times mayor of
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
and disgruntled
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, who had inspired a Veneto-based regional party called
Toward North
Toward North ( it, Verso Nord, VN) is a liberal and federalist political association based in Veneto, Italy.
The group, which seeks to represent all the North by enlarging itself outside Veneto, is a keen proponent of federalism, fiscal reform ...
(VN).
In Montezemolo's words, however, IF aimed at forming a new "popular, reform and authentically liberal force" which would hegemonize the
political centre
Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the l ...
of Italian politics, in dialogue with "responsible people" of the established parties.
In December 2011
Federico Vecchioni Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.
People with the given name Federico
Artists
* Federico Ágreda, Venezuelan composer and DJ.
* Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, ...
, a
Venetian who had been president of
Confagricoltura (2004–2011) and founder of IF in
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
, was appointed national coordinator, in what was described by some observers as a step toward the transformation of IF into a full-fledged political party.
As of October 2012, IF had organized regional sections virtually in all the
regions of Italy
The regions of Italy ( it, regioni d'Italia) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which have higher autonomy than the rest. U ...
. A leading member of VN,
Andrea Causin, was appointed as one of the three regional coordinators of IF in Veneto, and other key members of VN were co-opted in IF's regional committee. Other local associations were integrated too.
After long speculation, in mid-2012, Montezemolo seemed ready to enter politics and that the think tank would be transformed into a political party. On 30 September 2012, in an interview to ''
Corriere della Sera
The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015.
First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of It ...
'', Montezemolo announced that IF would take part to the
2013 general election and that it would support
Mario Monti
Mario Monti, (born 19 March 1943) is an Italian economist and academic who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, leading a technocratic government in the wake of the Italian debt crisis.
Monti served as a European Commiss ...
to serve a full term as
Prime Minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...
.
According to some sources Montezemolo could have been the leader of a new centrist coalition composed of his movement and some of the parties which once formed the
New Pole for Italy, mainly the
Union of the Centre (UdC),
Future and Freedom
Future and Freedom ( it, Futuro e Libertà), whose full name was Future and Freedom for Italy (''Futuro e Libertà per l'Italia'', abbreviated to FLI), was a political party in Italy, comprising both liberal and national conservative elements.
F ...
(FLI) and
Alliance for Italy
Alliance for Italy ( it, Alleanza per l'Italia; ApI) was a centrist political party in Italy.
The party, which was described in its manifesto as "democratic, liberal, popular" as opposed both to " right-wing populism" and the " social-democratic ...
(ApI).
IF however distanced from established parties as the UdC in favour of an entirely new political proposal. On 17 November 2012 IF took part to the founding of
Toward the Third Republic (VTR). The week before Vecchioni had resigned from coordinator amid allegations of fraud,
and was replaced by Calenda.
In January 2013 IF was instrumental to the foundation of Mario Monti's
Civic Choice
Civic Choice ( it, Scelta Civica; SC) was a centrist and liberal political party in Italy founded by Mario Monti. The party was formed in the run-up of the 2013 general election to support the outgoing Prime Minister Monti and continue his polit ...
(SC).
At the
2013 general election SC, which led a coalition comprising also the UdC and FLI, garnered 8.3% of the vote. Several IF leading members, notably including Romano, Calenda, Merloni, Tinagli, Dambruoso, Causin were elected to the
Italian Parliament
The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitiona ...
. Calenda, who left the post of coordinator, was appointed deputy minister of Economic Development in
Letta Cabinet
The Letta government was the 62nd government of the Italian Republic. In office from 28 April 2013 to 22 January 2014, it comprised ministers of the Democratic Party (PD), The People of Freedom (PdL), Civic Choice (SC), the Union of the Centre ...
.
After the election,
Nicola Rossi, a leading
economic liberal
Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism, ...
, former senator of the
Democrats of the Left
The Democrats of the Left ( it, Democratici di Sinistra, DS) was a social-democratic political party in Italy.
The DS, successor of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) and the Italian Communist Party, was formed in 1998 upon the merger of th ...
and former president of
Bruno Leoni Institute
The Bruno Leoni Institute, named after philosopher and scholar Bruno Leoni, is an Italian libertarian think-tank promoting classical liberal ideas in Italy and in Europe. It was founded in 2003 by three libertarian scholars Carlo Lottieri, A ...
, was elected IF president, while
Simone Perillo
Simone may refer to:
* Simone (given name), a feminine (or Italian masculine) given name of Hebrew origin
* Simone (surname), an Italian surname
Simone may also refer to:
* ''Simone'' (1918 film), a French silent drama film
* ''Simone'' (1926 fi ...
was appointed director. According to Montezemolo and Rossi, far from becoming an organised faction within SC, IF would return to its original nature of think tank, while the MPs hailing from IF would be a "liberal and reform-minded" force within Parliament.
However, as soon as in October 2013, Rossi abruptly left the presidency of IF. According to Formiche.net, an online journal, this was the consequence of Montezemolo's contempt for Rossi's "ultra-liberalism", while SC seemed oriented at joining the
European People's Party
The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...
and not the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
as IF would like.
In March 2014
Carlo Pontecorvo, a physician-turned-entrepreneur, was sworn in as new IF president. Subsequently, the think tank stopped playing a role within SC: while some of its former leading members continued to be active within the party (e.g. Dambruoso), others took different paths by joining the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
(Calenda, Romano, Tinagli),
Popular Area
Popular Area ( it, Area Popolare, AP) was a centre-right and mainly Christian-democratic coalition, which included two parliamentary groups active in each house of the Italian Parliament: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
"Popular" was a re ...
(Causin, Marino) and
Unique Italy
Unique Italy (''Italia Unica'', IU; ''unico/a'' translates both to "unique" and "united") was a centre-right political party in Italy.
Its leader was Corrado Passera, a former manager (Mondadori, Espresso, Olivetti, Poste), banker ( Intesa/Intes ...
(Alfonso), led by former IF member Passera. Moreover, Pontecorvo criticised IF's former allegiance with SC and its consequent alliance with the UdC, while proposing to organise the think tank as a full-fledged party.
Leadership
*President:
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman, former Chairman of Ferrari, and formerly Chairman of Fiat S.p.A. and President of Confindustria and FIEG. He comes from an aristocratic family from the region of Piedm ...
(2009–2013),
Nicola Rossi (2013),
Carlo Pontecorvo (2014–present)
**Honorary President:
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman, former Chairman of Ferrari, and formerly Chairman of Fiat S.p.A. and President of Confindustria and FIEG. He comes from an aristocratic family from the region of Piedm ...
(2013–2014)
*Director:
Andrea Romano (2009–2013),
Simone Perillo
Simone may refer to:
* Simone (given name), a feminine (or Italian masculine) given name of Hebrew origin
* Simone (surname), an Italian surname
Simone may also refer to:
* ''Simone'' (1918 film), a French silent drama film
* ''Simone'' (1926 fi ...
(2013–present)
*Coordinator:
Federico Vecchioni Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.
People with the given name Federico
Artists
* Federico Ágreda, Venezuelan composer and DJ.
* Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, ...
(2011–2012),
Carlo Calenda
Carlo Calenda (born 9 April 1973) is an Italian business executive and politician. On 10 May 2016, he was appointed Minister of Economic Development in the government of Matteo Renzi and continued in that role in the government of Renzi's success ...
(2012–2013)
*Spokesperson:
Lelio Alfonso (2012–2013)
References
{{Reflist
Think tanks based in Italy
Political associations of Italy