Rocco Buttiglione
Encyclopedia
Rocco Buttiglione is an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 Christian Democrat politician and an academic.

His nomination for a post as European Commissioner
European Commissioner
A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission...

 with a portfolio that was to include civil liberties, resulted in controversy as some political groups opposed him for his Roman Catholic views on homosexuality, despite his assurances that these were only his personal convictions and would not dictate his administration.

He is a Professor of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 at Saint Pius V University in Rome, and member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences was established in January 1994 by Pope John Paul II. It is headquartered in the Casina Pio IV in the Vatican. Professor Edmond Malinvaud was its first president...

. He served as a minister for EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 policies in Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

's government from 2001 to 2006. In 2005 Buttiglione received an honorary doctoral degree for his commitment to the ideas of liberty.

In May 2006, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

.

Previous career

Rocco Buttiglione was born in Gallipoli, Puglia.

He studied law in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

 and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 and became a Professor of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 at Saint Pius V University in Rome. He was also a professor of philosophy and acting rector at the International Academy for Philosophy in Liechtenstein.

Rocco Buttiglione first attained attention on the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 political stage when he became secretary of the People's Party, the largest of the parties that emerged from the Democrazia Cristiana, formerly the largest party in Italy since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 after the Tangentopoli
Tangentopoli
Tangentopoli is a term which was coined to describe pervasive corruption in the Italian political system exposed in the 1992-6 Mani Pulite investigations, as well as the resulting scandal, which led to the collapse of the hitherto dominant Christian Democracy party and its allies.-Popular distrust...

 corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...

 scandals, in 1994. The Popular party had presented itself along with Mario Segni
Mario Segni
Mariotto Segni, more often known as Mario, is an Italian politician, son of Antonio Segni, one time President of the Republic of Italy....

 in a centre alliance, in which came third after Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

's and the left-wing coalition.

In December 1994 the Berlusconi government came to an end as the Lega Nord left the coalition to a temporary coalition with the left wing and the Popular party; Buttiglione was then leading it. Berlusconi, outraged that he had been ousted by the Parliament of Italy
Parliament of Italy
The Parliament of Italy is the national parliament of Italy. It is a bicameral legislature with 945 elected members . The Chamber of Deputies, with 630 members is the lower house. The Senate of the Republic is the upper house and has 315 members .Since 2005, a party list electoral law is being...

, unsuccessfully requested new elections. Berlusconi had tense relationships with Lega Nord's leader, Umberto Bossi
Umberto Bossi
Umberto Bossi is an Italian politician, leader of the Northern League, a party seeking autonomy or independence for Northern Italy. He is married to Manuela Marrone and has four sons ....

, and all involved in what he called the "ribaltone" for many years, but eventually both Bossi and Buttiglione would join forces with him to win the 2001 elections.

Buttiglione was elected a Parliamentary Deputy for Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

 in May 2001, and joined Berlusconi's new government as the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 Policy Minister. From 2005-06 he was Minister for Cultural Assets and Activities
Minister for Cultural Assets and Activities
The Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities is the ministry of culture of the Republic of Italy. It is based at 27 via del Collegio Romano, Rome, and the current minister is Lorenzo Ornaghi....

.

Reasons for the nomination

Following an increase of support for his Catholic, centrist political party, Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC), in a difficult period for Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

's government, the party's leader, Marco Follini
Marco Follini
Marco Follini is an Italian centre-wing politician.Follini was born in Rome. He was National Secretary of the Democrats' Centre Union party until October 15, 2005...

, could ask for more influence in the government. In particular, the UDC was lobbying against the powerful economy minister Giulio Tremonti
Giulio Tremonti
Giulio Tremonti is an Italian politician. He served in the government of Italy as Minister of Economy and Finance under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from 1994 to 1995, from 2001 to 2004, from 2005 to 2006, and from 2008 to 2011....

, supported by Umberto Bossi
Umberto Bossi
Umberto Bossi is an Italian politician, leader of the Northern League, a party seeking autonomy or independence for Northern Italy. He is married to Manuela Marrone and has four sons ....

's Lega Nord; Tremonti was later put out of office and replaced with the politically more neutral Domenico Siniscalco
Domenico Siniscalco
Domenico Siniscalco is an Italian economist and former Minister of Finance.He served Italian government from June 2001 to July 2004 as Director General of Treasury...

.

Furthermore, according to the new balance of power inside the ruling coalition, the UDC was still entitled to more benefits, and it was decided that Rocco Buttiglione, already a minister in the government, would be Italy's member of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....

, and his place in the Italian government would be taken by another member of UDC.

Rocco Buttiglione was also indicated as qualified because he spoke foreign languages, among others English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 and Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...

.
In 2004, José Manuel Barroso included him on his list of nominees for the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....

, with a designated portfolio of Justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...

, Freedom
Freedom (political)
Political freedom is a central philosophy in Western history and political thought, and one of the most important features of democratic societies...

 and Security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...

.

Controversy

The nomination resulted in controversy. As a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

, Buttiglione believes that practicing homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...

 is a sin, and that "The family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...

 exists in order to allow women
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...

 to have child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...

ren and to have the protection of a male
Man
The term man is used for an adult human male . However, man is sometimes used to refer to humanity as a whole...

 who takes care of them".

During his hearing before the European Parliament's
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

 Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice And Home Affairs, he was asked about his stance on these issues and carefully reiterated his views, and stated that his personal opinion would not prevent him from dutifully administering his office.

The PSE
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The...

, ALDE
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is a transnational alliance between two European political parties: the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and the European Democratic Party. It has political groups in the European Parliament, the EU Committee of the Regions, the...

 and Green/EFA groups, in the tactful terminology of the EU, "expressed reservations" regarding his ability to take positive political action in the area of citizens' rights, in particular as regards combating discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...

, and threatened to reject the entire proposed Commission. On October 11 the committee voted by 27-26 not to endorse the nomination. After it became clear that a vote on October 27 in the European Parliament, to approve the Commission, would not succeed, José Manuel Barroso withdrew his proposed Commission.

Italian Catholic politicians and church leaders have rallied to defend Buttiglione's views. "This decision shows the real face of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, a face which we don't like. It's fundamentalist
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term "fundamentalism" was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the...

, which is absolutely not on," said Justice Minister Roberto Castelli
Roberto Castelli
Roberto Castelli is an Italian politician. He was the Minister of Justice in the third Italian government of Silvio Berlusconi, he is a Senator and one of the main representatives of Lega Nord.- Career :...

.

On October 21 José Manuel Barroso attempted to defuse the row by indicating that civil liberties, human rights and discrimination issues would be handled by a special panel that would include Buttiglione but that Barroso himself would chair it. "The new Commission will be absolutely opposed to any kind of discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...

 based on sexual orientation, gender, or religious beliefs", he stated.

On October 30 Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

 announced that the Italian government would withdraw Buttiglione's nomination, keeping him in his office of minister in the Italian government; however, he did not mention who would be the Italian candidate to be a member of the European Commission.

"The new soft totalitarianism that is advancing on the left wants to have a state religion. It is an atheist, nihilistic religion - but it is a religion that is obligatory for all" complained Buttiglione in subsequent comments.

Foreign minister Franco Frattini was later indicated as a possible alternative, with the implicit promise that his ministry would then go to Gianfranco Fini
Gianfranco Fini
Gianfranco Fini is an Italian politician, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, leader of the center-right Future and Freedom party, and the former leader of the conservative National Alliance and the post-fascist Italian Social Movement...

, whose party had recently increased its influence in the government coalition. However, there were still rumors that Giulio Tremonti
Giulio Tremonti
Giulio Tremonti is an Italian politician. He served in the government of Italy as Minister of Economy and Finance under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from 1994 to 1995, from 2001 to 2004, from 2005 to 2006, and from 2008 to 2011....

, supported by Lega Nord, might be picked for the job, but eventually Frattini was nominated and appointed.

Turin mayoral election

Rocco Buttiglione ran as the candidate for his coalition, the House of Freedoms
House of Freedoms
The House of Freedoms , was a major Italian centre-right political and electoral alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. It was initially composed of several political parties:*Forza Italia *National Alliance...

, for the office of Mayor in Turin. His opponent was the incumbent Sergio Chiamparino
Sergio Chiamparino
Sergio Chiamparino was the mayor of Turin, Italy from 2001 to 2011.A graduate in political sciences at the University of Turin, where he worked as a researcher until 1975, Chiamparino started his political career that same year as head of the Italian Communist Party in the Town Council of...

, member of the Union. Turin had been a left-wing stronghold in the previous general elections
Italian general election, 2006
In the Italian general election, 2006 for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy held on April 9 and April 10, 2006 the incumbent prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the center-right House of Freedoms, was narrowly defeated by Romano Prodi, leader of the center-left The...

 and the city hosted successfully the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...

, making Buttiglione's challenge very difficult. Adding to that, some wondered why such a hard-line conservative, who had never lived in Turin before, was proposed for the office, calling Buttiglione's move as a political suicide.
After a poor campaign results were disastrous, Sergio Chiamparino, who had been elected in the previous elections with 52.8% of the votes, scored 66.6% of the votes against Buttiglione, and became the first Turin mayor to be elected at the first turn.

Financial investigations

It has also emerged that Buttiglione was investigated by the authorities in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

 in 2002 over possible illegal money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...

 in favour of his political party. At the end no evidence was found that any crime had been committed. Giampiero Catone, a senior aide of Buttiglione, has been charged with "fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...

ulent bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....

" in Italy; and faces inquiries into the disappearance of millions of Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

s of Italian and EU funds. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/10/20/weu20.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/10/20/ixworld.html

Views on abortion

In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Italy's leading daily newspaper, Rocco Butiglione, was quoted as saying that he is opposed to efforts to create binding legal protections for the unborn in Italy. He later told the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute
Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute
The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute is "a non-partisan, non-profit research institute dedicated to reestablishing a proper understanding of international law, protecting national sovereignty and the dignity of the human person." Its leaders have participated in every major UN social...

 that he had been misquoted and clarified that he meant it was unlikely that Italy would ban abortion given its political situation. He also stated that pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...

 advocates should focus on reducing the demand for abortions by providing alternatives to mothers.

Publications

  • Dialettica e nostalgia (1978)
  • La crisi dell’economia marxista: Gli inizi della scuola di Francoforte (1979)
  • Il pensiero di Karol Wojtyla (1982)
  • Ethik der Leistung (1988; co-edited with Hans Thomas)
  • La crisi della morale (1991)
  • Die Verantwortung des Menschen in einem globalen Weltzeitalter (1996; co-edited with Rocco Buttiglione, Radim Palouš, Josef Seifert)
  • Wie erkennt man Naturrecht? (1998; co-edited with Josef Seifert)
  • Karol Wojtyla: The Thought of the Man Who Became Pope John Paul II (1997)
  • The moral mandate for freedom: Reflections on Centesimus Annus (1997)

External links

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