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Carlo Calenda

Carlo Calenda
Minister of Economic Development
In office
10 May 2016 – 1 June 2018
Prime MinisterMatteo Renzi
Paolo Gentiloni
Preceded byFederica Guidi
Succeeded byLuigi Di Maio
Secretary of Action
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 February 2022
Preceded byPosition established
Member of the Senate of the Republic
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 October 2022
ConstituencySicily
Member of the European Parliament
In office
2 July 2019 – 12 October 2022
ConstituencyNorth-East Italy
Permanent Representative of Italy to the European Union
In office
21 March 2016 – 10 May 2016
Prime MinisterMatteo Renzi
Preceded byStefano Sannino
Succeeded byMaurizio Massari
Personal details
Born (1973-04-09) 9 April 1973 (age 51)
Rome, Italy
Political partyAction (2019–present)
Other political
affiliations		PCI (1980s)
SC (2013–2015)
Independent (2015–2018)
PD (2018–2019)
SpouseViolante Guidotti Bentivoglio
Children4
Parent
EducationSapienza University
Signature

Carlo Calenda (born April 9, 1973 in Rome) is an Italian business executive and politician. Since October 13, 2022, he has served as a Senator of the Republic and, since February 20, 2022, as Secretary of Azione, a party he primarily founded in 2019 and led until his election as Secretary.

He served as Minister of Economic Development[1] in the Renzi and Gentiloni governments and was Italy's Permanent Representative to the European Union in 2016.

Early life and business career

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Born in Rome on April 9, 1973, he is the son of Fabio Calenda, an economist, journalist, and writer, and Cristina Comencini, a film director.[2][3]

After earning a degree in law from the University of Rome "La Sapienza"[4] and prior to his institutional and political career, he worked at Confindustria as Director of Strategic International Affairs and Assistant to the President. He also worked at Sky Italia as Head of Product Marketing and Programming and at Ferrari, where he managed relations with financial institutions and oversaw Customer Relationship Management. [5]

Career in Government

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Under the Renzi and Gentiloni governments, he served as Minister of Economic Development from May 2016, focusing on industrial policy, corporate crises, internationalization, energy, and communications. In the Letta government, he was appointed in 2013 as Deputy Minister of Economic Development, responsible for policies related to internationalization and foreign trade. From March to May 2016, he served as Italy's Permanent Representative to the European Union in Brussels. From 2019 to 2022, he was a Member of the European Parliament. Currently, he is a Senator of the Republic.

Personal Life

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At the age of 16, he became a father to his first daughter, Tay.[6] Later, he married Violante Guidotti Bentivoglio, a manager, with whom he has three more children.[7]

Political Career

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In October 2012, Calenda signed the political manifesto "Towards the Third Republic" from the Italia Futura movement.[8][9] In the 2013 general elections, he was a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies on the Civic Choice - With Monti for Italy list in the Lazio 1 constituency, finishing as the first non-elected candidate.[10]

Deputy Minister of Economic Development

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On May 3, 2013, following the formation of the grand coalition government led by Enrico Letta and supported by Civic Choice, the Democratic Party (PD), People of Freedom, and the Union of the Centre, Calenda joined the Letta government as Deputy Minister of Economic Development. He was appointed on May 2 and served alongside Antonio Catricalà under Minister Flavio Zanonato.[11]

After the Letta government collapsed and Matteo Renzi became Prime Minister on February 28, 2014, Calenda was confirmed as Deputy Minister of Economic Development, with a specific focus on foreign trade.[12] During his tenure, he led numerous delegations of Italian entrepreneurs abroad and launched the extraordinary Made in Italy plan (Law No. 164/2014), which introduced measures to expand the number of companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, active in global markets, increase Italy's share in international trade, enhance the image of Made in Italy worldwide and support initiatives to attract foreign investments to Italy.[13]

He also opposed granting Market Economy Status to China.[14]

Calenda in February 2018

Italy's Representative to the European Union

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On January 20, 2016, the Renzi government appointed Calenda as Italy’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, replacing Ambassador Stefano Sannino.[15]

Minister of Economic Development

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On May 10, 2016, just two months after being appointed Italy’s Permanent Representative to the EU, Calenda was recalled to Rome to assume the role of Minister of Economic Development.[16] He succeeded Matteo Renzi, who had temporarily taken over the position following the resignation of Federica Guidi due to the Tempa Rossa scandal.[17][18]

On December 12, 2016, after Renzi resigned as Prime Minister following the failure of the Renzi-Boschi constitutional reform in a referendum, Calenda was confirmed as Minister of Economic Development in Paolo Gentiloni's new government.[19]

As minister, he promoted and implemented Industry 4.0, the first strategic industrial development plan in Italy. This initiative introduced automatic incentives for companies investing in tangible and intangible capital goods, significantly boosting industrial innovation and investment.[20] The plan demonstrated its success through increased purchases of eligible assets.[21]

Calenda concluded his ministerial role at the end of the legislature.

2019 European Elections

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On March 6, 2018, two days after the Democratic Party (PD) suffered a significant defeat in the general elections, Calenda announced his membership in the party, expressing his intent to reform it with a reformist perspective. [22][23]

Ahead of the 2019 European elections, he launched Siamo Europei (We Are Europeans), a political manifesto aimed at creating a united pro-European reformist list as an alternative to the sovereigntist bloc (comprising Lega and Fratelli d’Italia) and the populist bloc (represented by the Five Star Movement).[24]

On March 19, Calenda officially announced his candidacy as the top candidate in the North-East constituency. The Siamo Europei list was presented on March 30, in collaboration with the PD, led by Lazio President and PD Secretary Nicola Zingaretti.[25] The manifesto attracted support from groups such as Campo Progressista, Democrazia Solidale, and other civic and political actors, including external supporters like Centrists for Europe. Articolo Uno also reached an agreement with the PD to present its candidates on the list.[26]

In the 2019 European elections, Calenda was elected as a Member of the European Parliament with 279,783 votes in the North-East constituency, becoming the most-voted candidate on the PD list nationwide.[27]

Leaving the PD and founding Azione

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Carlo Calenda in 2019


On July 23, 2019, Calenda presented a motion to the PD National Directorate, approved with a large majority, stating that the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement were and would remain incompatible due to their opposing values. The motion outlined three priorities for an immediate plan for Italy: education and training, healthcare, and investment.[28]

On August 28, 2019, after the fall of the Conte I government and the PD’s agreement with the Five Star Movement to form a new government,[29][30] Calenda announced his departure from the Democratic Party, citing consistency with the motion he had presented.[31][32][33]

On November 21, 2019, Calenda officially launched Azione (Action), his new centrist political formation,[34] alongside Senator Matteo Richetti[35] and a promotional committee.[36][37] The party draws inspiration from the liberal socialism of Carlo Rosselli, the social liberalism of Piero Gobetti, and the populism of Don Luigi Sturzo.

Run for Mayor of Rome

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On October 18, 2020, during an appearance on Che tempo che fa with Fabio Fazio, Calenda announced his candidacy for Mayor of Rome in the 2021 local elections.[38] Shortly after, +Europa and the Italian Republican Party endorsed his campaign,[39] followed by Italia Viva in April 2021.[40] On May 24, he officially launched his candidacy under the list "Calenda Sindaco".[41]

In the elections, Calenda received 19.81% of the vote (219,878 votes), securing five seats on the City Council and finishing third, behind Enrico Michetti (center-right) and Roberto Gualtieri (center-left), but ahead of incumbent Mayor Virginia Raggi.[42] Despite his success, Calenda renounced his council seat to focus on his role as MEP and leader of Azione.[43]

Secretary of Azione

[edit]

On February 20, 2022, during Azione’s first congress titled “Italy Seriously” at the Palazzo dei Ricevimenti e dei Congressi in Rome, Carlo Calenda was unanimously elected Secretary of the party, while Matteo Richetti was elected President.[44]

2022 general election

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Main article: 2022 Italian general election
Calenda at the Quirinal Palace following the election


With the fall of the Draghi government and the early dissolution of Parliament,[45] on August 2, Azione and +Europa announced they would join the Democratic Party coalition for the 2022 general elections.[46] The three parties signed an agreement to avoid nominating divisive figures in single-member constituencies. However, on August 7, following the inclusion of the Green-Left Alliance in the center-left coalition, Azione withdrew, causing a rift with +Europa.[47][48][49]

On August 11, Azione and Italia Viva announced their decision to run together in the elections under a single list informally known as the Third Pole, with Calenda as leader.[50] He ran for the Senate in the Lazio-02 single-member constituency (Rome Municipality XIV) and as the top candidate in several multi-member constituencies: Emilia-Romagna 2, Lazio 1, Sicily 1, and Veneto 2.[51]

In the elections, Calenda was elected Senator in the multi-member Sicily-01 constituency,[52] resigning from his position in the European Parliament on October 12, 2022. The Third Pole achieved 7.79% of the vote in the Chamber of Deputies and 7.73% in the Senate,[53] exceeding the 3% threshold.[54][55]

Azione-Italia Viva Federation and the 2024 European Elections

[edit]

Following the elections, on October 3, 2022, Calenda announced that Azione and Italia Viva would form joint parliamentary groups in both chambers and establish a federation between the two parties.[56]

On December 8, 2022, Calenda and Italia Viva leader Matteo Renzi signed an agreement for the official formation of the federation, with plans to merge into a single party. Calenda was appointed President of the Coordination Office, consistent with his leadership role during the previous elections.[57][58][59]

However, in April 2023, irreconcilable differences over the process of creating the new party led to the dissolution of the federation.[60][61] Following the split, prominent Italia Viva members Elena Bonetti and Ettore Rosato left their party to join Azione.[62]

In May 2024, Azione ran in the European elections under the Siamo Europei list, with Calenda as the top candidate in all constituencies except the North-West, where he was listed last.[63] In the June 2024 elections, Azione garnered 3.3% of the national vote, failing to surpass the 4% threshold required for European elections, in contrast to the lower threshold in national elections.

Electoral history

[edit]
Election House Constituency Party Votes Result
2019 European Parliament North-East Italy PD 279,783 checkY Elected
2022 Senate of the Republic Rome – Municipio XIV A–IV 77,211 ☒N Not elected
Lazio –[a] checkY Elected
  1. ^ Elected in a closed list proportional representation system.

Authored books

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References

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  1. ^ Chi è Carlo Calenda, il nuovo ministro dello Sviluppo Economico amico di Montezemolo
  2. ^ Ricordate il piccolo protagonista di «Cuore»? Ecco il ministro Calenda quando aveva 10 anni
  3. ^ "Chi è Carlo Calenda - Politica". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  4. ^ "Calenda, il secchione che studia da sindaco: "A Roma deve tornare un po' di buongoverno"". la Repubblica (in Italian). 2020-10-15. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  5. ^ "Carlo Calenda - Circoscrizione Lazio 1 | Scelta Civica per l'Italia". 2013-10-20. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  6. ^ "Calenda parla del figlio più piccolo: "Gli piace il comunismo italiano, lo farò guarire" | Globalist". 2020-11-01. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  7. ^ Drigo, Giulia (2020-09-29). "Sapevi che è il figlio di una nota regista? 6 curiosità sul ministro Carlo Calenda". Donna Glamour (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  8. ^ "Carlo Calenda, feluca e manager: "Così rilancio l'Italia in Europa"". 3 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Noi alternativi ai democratici, li batteremo
  10. ^ Candidati di Scelta Civica alla Camera dei Deputati
  11. ^ "Consiglio dei Ministri n.2 del 2/05/2013". www.governo.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  12. ^ "Governo Italiano - Provvedimenti del Governo". www.governo.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  13. ^ "Biografia". 2016-01-26. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  14. ^ c.jacini. "Cina, concessione del Market Economy Status — Confindustria Lombardia". confindustria.lombardia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  15. ^ "Carlo Calenda è il nuovo rappresentante dell'Italia a Bruxelles. Gentiloni: "Scelta eccezionale"". rainews (in Italian). 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  16. ^ Sviluppo economico, Calenda nuovo ministro: domani la nomina
  17. ^ "Sviluppo economico, Calenda nuovo ministro: domani la nomina". Il Sole 24 ORE (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  18. ^ "Carlo Calenda sarà nominato ministro per lo Sviluppo Economico". Il Post (in Italian). 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  19. ^ "Gentiloni presenta governo, Padoan confermato all'Economia". Archived from the original on 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  20. ^ Vendettuoli, Gaia (2017-09-20). "Ecco i risultati del piano Industria 4.0 (che cambia nome). Calenda: "Adesso fase due"". www.agi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  21. ^ Vendettuoli, Gaia (2017-09-20). "Ecco i risultati del piano Industria 4.0 (che cambia nome). Calenda: "Adesso fase due"". www.agi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  22. ^ Carlo Calenda [@CarloCalenda] (2018-03-06). "Non bisogna fare un altro partito ma lavorare per risollevare quello che c'è. Domani mi vado ad iscrivere al @pdnetwork" [We must not form another party but we must work to uplift the one that already exists. Tomorrow I am going to join the Democratic Party.] (Tweet) (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-03-06 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Calenda prende la tessera del Pd: «Abbiamo dato sensazione di essere élite»
  24. ^ "Calenda lancia Manifesto "Siamo Europei", Aderiscono Martina e Gentiloni, diversi governatori e sindaci dem". HuffPost Italia (in Italian). 2019-01-18. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  25. ^ TG24, Sky (2019-03-30). "Europee, Zingaretti: "Ecco il logo del Pd per vincere le elezioni"". tg24.sky.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ Carlo Calenda lancia Manifesto "Siamo Europei". Aderiscono Martina e Gentiloni, diversi governatori e sindaci dem
  27. ^ Europee, i candidati acchiappavoti. Calenda e Pisapia campioni di preferenze. Alla Lega 29 seggi, al Pd 19
  28. ^ "Calenda mostra la tessera del Pd: "Nessuna alleanza con M5S"" [Calenda shows his membership card in the Democratic Party: “No alliance with the Five Star Movement”]. La Stampa (in Italian). 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
  29. ^ Italy’s Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, Resigns, Turning Chaos Into Uncertainty
  30. ^ Italian PM resigns with attack on 'opportunist' Salvini
  31. ^ Governo, Zingaretti: "I 5 punti per trattare con il M5S. No accordicchi, governo di svolta"
  32. ^ "Conte wins crucial support for new Italian govt coalition". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2019-08-28. Retrieved 2019-09-06.
  33. ^ "C'è l'accordo tra M5s e Pd. Governo giallorosso ai nastri di partenza". Agi. 28 August 2019.
  34. ^ "Nasce il partito di Calenda: "Sarà un movimento aperto a tutti"". 5 September 2019.
  35. ^ Matteo Richetti: "Azione non sarà un partito di centro, ma il vero polo progressista del Paese"
  36. ^ Calenda lancia il suo “movimento liberal-progressista”: “Tesseramento al via da dicembre”
  37. ^ Calenda anticipa Renzi e apre la scissione nel Pd: "Un nuovo movimento liberal-progressista"
  38. ^ Roma, Calenda: "Mi candido a sindaco", la Repubblica
  39. ^ Adnkronos (2020-12-12). "Roma, "+Europa pronta a sostenere Calenda"". Adnkronos. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  40. ^ "Elezioni Roma, Italia Viva sosterrà Calenda: "E' la candidatura migliore, mai visto Gualtieri"". RomaToday (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  41. ^ ""Roma, sul serio". Carlo Calenda lancia la sua campagna elettorale: "Il mio impegno per 10 anni"". RomaToday (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  42. ^ Angelo Amante and Gavin Jones (4 October 2021), Centre-left wins Italian mayoral elections, 5-Star loses Rome Reuters.
  43. ^ "INTERVISTA | Il 28enne Carpano prende il posto di Calenda: "Roma ha bisogno di coraggio"". RomaToday (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  44. ^ Rainews, Redazione di (2022-02-20). "Calenda proclamato segretario di Azione: "Al prossimo congresso una donna mi cacci"". RaiNews (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  45. ^ "Draghi si è dimesso, il presidente Mattarella ha sciolto le Camere: l'Italia al voto il 25 settembre". RAI. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  46. ^ "Patto Letta-Calenda, 70% candidati Pd e 30% Azione/+Europa – Politica" (in Italian). ANSA. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  47. ^ "Pd-Verdi-SI, accordo per le elezioni. La conferenza congiunta" (in Italian). RAI. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  48. ^ "Verdi dicono sì al Pd, ma resta tensione con Calenda – Politica" (in Italian). ANSA. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  49. ^ "Calenda strappa col Pd, Letta: 'Noi andiamo avanti' – Politica" (in Italian). Agenzia ANSA. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  50. ^ "Elezioni politiche 2022, Calenda-Renzi accordo fatto. Sarà il leader di Azione a guidare il Terzo Polo". la Repubblica. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  51. ^ "Calenda e Renzi al Senato, ecco la mossa del Terzo polo per bloccare la destra". www.ilmessaggero.it (in Italian). 2022-08-14. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  52. ^ "Elezioni Senato 2022 - Risultati collegio uninominale Lazio - U02 - 25 settembre 2022 - La Repubblica". elezioni.repubblica.it. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  53. ^ "Elezioni politiche 2022: risultati in diretta - Fdi primo partito, flop Pd sotto il 20, i 5 stelle terzi col 15. Crollo della Lega sotto al 9%". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  54. ^ Kirby, Paul (26 September 2022). "Giorgia Meloni: Italy's far right wins election and vows to govern for all". BBC. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  55. ^ "La nuova versione del Terzo polo: "Qualsiasi cosa sopra il 7 per cento è una vittoria"". www.ilfoglio.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  56. ^ Pacifici, Stefano (2022-10-03). "Renzi e Calenda preparano la federazione per novembre". MetroNews (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  57. ^ Carlo Calenda [@CarloCalenda] (3 October 2022). "Lungo incontro con @matteorenzi. Siamo d'accordo sul percorso comune. Avanti con federazione e gruppi unici in Parlamento e nelle amministrazioni locali. Prenderemo insieme le decisioni politiche a partire dalle Regionali. Porte aperte ai riformisti e ai liberali. #ItaliaSulSerio" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  58. ^ Pacifici, Stefano (3 October 2022). "Renzi e Calenda preparano la federazione per novembre". MetroNews (in Italian). Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  59. ^ "Terzo Polo: incontro Calenda-Renzi, 'federazione a novembre'". Adnkronos (in Italian). 3 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022 – via Yahoo!.
  60. ^ "Il Terzo Polo è già finito". Il Post (in Italian). 2023-04-13. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  61. ^ "Come si è arrivati alla rottura tra Renzi e Calenda". Pagella Politica (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  62. ^ "Rosato e Bonetti dopo l'addio a Renzi entrano in Azione: saranno vicesegretario e vicepresidente del partito di Calenda". la Repubblica (in Italian). 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  63. ^ "Le liste con i candidati dei principali partiti italiani per le elezioni europee". Il Post (in Italian). 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
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Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Economic Development
2016–2018 		Succeeded by