Lorenzo Natali Pierucci Bondicchi (1922–1989) was an Italian politician for

Christian Democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

, and a

European Commissioner A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the President of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent ...

from 1977 to 1989.

Early life and career

Natali's parents were born in Colle di Buggiano, in the

province of Pistoia The province of Pistoia ( it, provincia di Pistoia) is a province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Pistoia and the province is landlocked. It has an area of and a total population of 291,788 inhabitants (as of 2 ...

. His mother was a countess, while his father was the son of a farmer, but he graduated in medicine. In 1925 his father won a primary position at the hospital in L'Aquila and the whole family moved to

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

. Natali grew up and lived in L'Aquila. In 1929, Natali's mother died in childbirth. Natali was greatly influenced by his father, a convinced anti-fascist. He obtained his classical high school diploma at the Domenico Cotugno high school in L'Aquila, then moved to

Colle di Buggiano Colle di Buggiano is a little medieval village in the Valdinievole. It is a frazione of the comune of Buggiano, in the province of Pistoia, Italy. History As suggested by the name, which means "Hill of Buggiano", the village stands on a hill abo ...

to study law in Florence. After graduation he became a lawyer. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Natali was responsible for the Catholic youth groups in L'Aquila. He joined the Italian Liberation Corps as a volunteer and participated in the fight against the Nazi-fascists from June 16 to July 17, 1944 in the ranks of the 4th XXXIII Bersaglieri regiment. On July 17 he was wounded in battle on the Musone nelle Marche river, and on April 27 1945 he received the Cross for Military Valor.

Political career

In 1955 Natali was appointed Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers for the press and information within the Segni I government. In this capacity he participated in the signing of the

Treaty of Rome The Treaty of Rome, or EEC Treaty (officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community), brought about the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC), the best known of the European Communities (EC). The treaty was sig ...

on 25 March 1957. Subsequently he held the positions of undersecretary of the ministry of finance (Zoli government and Fanfani II government) and of the treasury ministry (Tambroni government, Fanfani III government, Fanfani IV government, Leone I government and Moro I government). In 1966 he was appointed minister for the first time and joined the Moro III government as Minister of Merchant Marine. Later he was Minister of Public Works in the Leone II and Rumor II Governments, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment in the Rumor I Government and Minister of Agriculture in the Rumor III, Colombo, Andreotti I and II Governments. He served as

Vice-President of the European Commission A Vice-President of the European Commission is a member of the European Commission who leads the commission's work in particular focus areas in which multiple European Commissioners participate. Currently, the European Commission has a total of ...

and Commissioner for Enlargement, Environment and Nuclear Safety in the Jenkins Commission from 1977 to 1981. He then served as Vice-President and Commissioner for Mediterranean Policy, Enlargement and Information in the

Thorn Commission The Thorn Commission was the European Commission that held office from 6 January 1981 until 5 January 1985. Its President was Gaston Thorn. Work It was the successor to the Jenkins Commission and was succeeded by the Delors Commission. With ...

from 1981 to 1985. He was Vice-President and held the portfolio of Cooperation, Development Affairs and Enlargement in the

Delors Commission The Delors Commission was the administration of Jacques Delors, the eighth President of the European Commission. Delors presided over the European Commission for three terms (though the last one lasted for around a year). The first term lasted ...

from 1985 to 1989. He was a government minister in Italy from 1966 to 1972 and served as Minister of Agriculture from 1970. The Lorenzo Natali Media Prize, a journalism prize awarded annually by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

Directorate-General for International Partnerships The Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG International Partnerships or DG INTPA) is the European Commission department responsible for international development policy. It operates under the authority of the European Commissione ...

, is named in his honour.Lorenzo Natali Prize
Europa.eu

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Natali, Lorenzo Italian European Commissioners 1922 births 1989 deaths Christian Democracy (Italy) politicians European Commissioners 1977–1981 European Commissioners 1981–1985 European Commissioners 1985–1988