Romano Prodi

Written by on March 26, 2014. Posted in Confirmed speakers 2014

Romano Prodi is the former Prime Minister of Italy and the former President of the European Commission. After serving as a Professor of Economics at the University of Bologna, he entered government as Minister of Industry in 1978 and he was appointed Prime Minister in 1996. In 1999 he obtained the role of President of the European Commission: during his five-year term, the EU expanded beyond its western European roots to include Malta, Cyprus, and eight eastern and central European members. After his term ended in 2004, Prodi returned to Italian politics and in 2006 was sworn in as Prime Minister for the second time. In 2012, he was appointed by the UN Secretary General as his Special Envoy for the Sahel.