Altiero Spinelli | |
|---|---|
 Spinelli in 1969 | |
| Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship | |
| In office 1 July 1970 – 4 July 1976 | |
| President | Franco Maria Malfatti Sicco Mansholt |
| Preceded by | Guido Colonna di Paliano |
| Succeeded by | Étienne Davignon |
| Member of the European Parliament for Central Italy | |
| In office 17 July 1979 – 23 May 1986 | |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 5 July 1976 – 11 July 1983 | |
| Constituency | Rome |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 August 1907 Rome, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 23 May 1986 (aged 78) Rome, Italy |
| Political party | Independent Left (1976–1983) |
| Other political affiliations | PCdI (1924–1937) PdA (1943–1946) CDR (1946) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including Barbara |
| Profession | Writer |
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Altiero Spinelli (31 August 1907 – 23 May 1986) was an Italian communist politician, political theorist and European federalist, referred to as one of the founding fathers of the European Union. A communist and militant anti-fascist in his youth, Spinelli spent 10 years imprisoned by the Italian fascist regime. Having grown disillusioned with Stalinism, he broke with the Communist Party of Italy in 1937. Interned in Ventotene during World War II, he, along with fellow democratic socialists, drafted the manifesto For a Free and United Europe (most commonly known as the Ventotene Manifesto) in 1941, considered a precursor of the European integration process.
Spinelli had a leading role in the foundation of the European Federalist Movement, and had strong influence on the first few decades of post-World War II European integration. Later, he helped to re-launch the integration process in the 1980s. By the time of his death, he had been a member of the European Commission for six years, and a member of the European Parliament for ten years right up until his death. The main building of the European Parliament in Brussels is named after him. The 1987–1988 academic year at the College of Europe and the 2009–2010 academic year of the European College of Parma were named in his honour.