Romano Prodi

Romano Prodi OMRI
Prodi in 2004
President of the European Commission
In office 16 September 1999 – 21 November 2004
Vice President	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	Manuel Marín
Succeeded by	José Manuel Barroso
Prime Minister of Italy
In office 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008
President	Giorgio Napolitano
Deputy	Massimo D'Alema Francesco Rutelli
Preceded by	Silvio Berlusconi
Succeeded by	Silvio Berlusconi
In office 18 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
President	Oscar Luigi Scalfaro
Deputy	Walter Veltroni
Preceded by	Lamberto Dini
Succeeded by	Massimo D'Alema
President of the Democratic Party
In office 14 October 2007 – 16 April 2008
Secretary	Walter Veltroni
Preceded by	Office Created
Succeeded by	Rosy Bindi
Minister of Industry, Commerce and Crafts
In office 25 November 1978 – 21 March 1979
Prime Minister	Giulio Andreotti
Preceded by	Carlo Donat-Cattin
Succeeded by	Franco Nicolazzi
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 28 April 2006 – 28 April 2008
Constituency	Emilia-Romagna
In office 9 May 1996 – 16 September 1996
Constituency	Bologna
Personal details
Born	Romano Antonio Prodi (1939-08-09) 9 August 1939 (age 85) Scandiano, Kingdom of Italy
Political party	Christian Democracy (1963–1994) Italian People's Party (1994–1996) Independent (1996–1999, 2002–2007; since 2013) The Democrats (1999–2002) Democratic Party (2007–2013)
Other political affiliations	The Olive Tree (1995–2007) The Union (2005–2007)
Spouse	Flavia Franzoni ​ ​ (m. 1969; died 2023)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore London School of Economics
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This article is part of a series about Romano Prodi
Political offices President of the European Commission (1999–2004) Prime Minister of Italy (1996–1998; 2006–2008) Political career Operation Alba Withdraw from Iraq UNIFIL 2008 Italian political crisis Cabinets First Second Prodi Commission Amsterdam Treaty Nice Treaty European Constitution 2004 EU enlargement Elections 1996 Italian general election 1999 European election 2006 Italian general election 2013 Italian presidential election
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Romano Prodi OMRI (Italian: [roˈmaːno ˈprɔːdi] ^ⓘ; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician who served as President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004 and twice as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1996 to 1998, and again from 2006 to 2008.^[1][2] Prodi is considered the founder of the Italian centre-left and one of the most prominent figures of the Second Republic. He is often nicknamed Il Professore ("The Professor") due to his academic career.^[3]

A former professor of economics and international advisor to Goldman Sachs, Prodi ran as lead candidate of The Olive Tree coalition, winning the 1996 election and serving as prime minister until losing a vote of confidence 1998. He was subsequently appointed President of the European Commission in 1999, serving until 2004. Following the victory of his new coalition, The Union, over the House of Freedoms led by Silvio Berlusconi, at the 2006 election, Prodi became prime minister a second time. On 24 January 2008, he lost a vote of confidence in the Senate and consequently tendered his resignation as prime minister to President Giorgio Napolitano; he continued in office for almost four months for routine business until early elections were held and a new government was formed. Prodi was the first left-leaning candidate to finish first in an Italian general election since 1921.

On 14 October 2007, Prodi became the founding president of the Democratic Party upon foundation of the party. On 12 September 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon selected Prodi as president of the African Union–United Nations peacekeeping panel.^[4] Since 2021, he is serving as the United Nations Special Envoy for the Sahel.