Franco Maria Malfatti

Franco Maria Malfatti OMRI
Malfatti in 1972
President of the European Commission
In office 1 July 1970 – 1 March 1972
Vice President	Sicco Mansholt
Preceded by	Jean Rey
Succeeded by	Sicco Mansholt
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 4 August 1979 – 15 January 1980
Prime Minister	Francesco Cossiga
Preceded by	Arnaldo Forlani
Succeeded by	Attilio Ruffini
Minister of Finance
In office 11 March 1978 – 4 August 1979
Prime Minister	Giulio Andreotti
Preceded by	Filippo Maria Pandolfi
Succeeded by	Franco Reviglio
Minister of Education
In office 7 July 1973 – 11 March 1978
Prime Minister	Mariano Rumor Aldo Moro Giulio Andreotti
Preceded by	Oscar Luigi Scalfaro
Succeeded by	Mario Pedini
Minister of Post and Telecommunications
In office 27 March 1970 – 9 June 1970
Prime Minister	Mariano Rumor
Preceded by	Athos Valsecchi
Succeeded by	Giacinto Bosco
Minister of State Holdings
In office 5 August 1969 – 27 March 1970
Prime Minister	Mariano Rumor
Preceded by	Arnaldo Forlani
Succeeded by	Flaminio Piccoli
Personal details
Born	(1927-06-13)13 June 1927 Rome, Italy
Died	10 December 1991(1991-12-10) (aged 64) Rome, Italy
Resting place	Santa Croce, Florence, Italy
Political party	Christian Democracy
Spouse	Franca Spinola
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Milan University of Rome

Franco Maria Malfatti (Italian: [ˈfraŋko maˈriːa malˈfatti] ; 13 June 1927 – 10 December 1991) was an Italian politician who served as the third president of the European Commission from 1970 to 1972. He served at Italian level as Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1979 to 1980 and Italian Minister of Education from 1973 to 1978.

Biography

Malfatti was born in Rome to parents who were from the province of Rieti. He was an important member of the governing council of Democrazia Cristiana (the Christian Democratic party) in which he became chief of the political bureau and covered several institutional charges.

In Democrazia Cristiana, he was a member of Dossetti's lobby, together with Amintore Fanfani, Aldo Moro, and Giorgio La Pira. In 1951 he was elected national representative for young members; in 1958 he was elected deputy for the districts of Rieti and Umbria. He served as minister for Foreign Affairs (1979–1980), Finance (1978–1979), Education, Industry, State holdings, and Telecommunications.

He was also the third President of the European Commission from 1970 to 1972. The "Malfatti Commission" began as the integration process was relaunched: the EC adopted a financial framework and competed for the single market. There was also the beginnings of political cooperation, monetary cooperation, and of enlargement as talks opened with Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom. He resigned from this post in 1972 to run for office in Italy.

In the 1980s he was chief of the Italian delegation in the European Parliament. Politically close to Aldo Moro's lobby, Malfatti was among the participants in Bilderberg meetings.

External links

• The private papers of Franco Maria Malfatti are deposited at the Historical Archives of the European Union in Florence.