Emma Bonino

Emma Bonino (born March 9 1948 in Bra), is an Italian politician, former Member of the European Parliament and current Member of the Italian Parliament for the Rose in the Fist. She graduated in modern languages and literature from Bocconi University in Milan in 1972.

On May 17, 2006, Emma Bonino was appointed as Minister for International Trade in the cabinet of Romano Prodi.

National Political Career

 * Elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1976; re-elected in 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1994 and 2006.
 * In 1975, she founded the Information Centre on Sterilisation and Abortion and promoted the referendum which led to the legalisation of abortion in Italy.
 * In 1986, she was among the promoters of a referendum against nuclear energy that led to the rejection of a civil nuclear energy programme in Italy.

International Political Career

 * Elected to the European Parliament in 1979; re-elected in 1984 and 1999.
 * Secretary of the Transnational Radical Party in 1993-94, President in 1991-1993.
 * In October 1994, she was appointed Head of the Italian Government delegation to the UN General Assembly for the "Moratorium on death penalty" initiative.
 * From 1994 to 1999, she was European Commissioner responsible for Consumer Policy, Fisheries and the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO).
 * In 1997, her field of competence was widened to include consumer health protection and food safety.
 * On 15 March 1999, together with all the Santer Commission, she resigned due to the accusations of fraud and mismanagement against commissioner Edith Cresson. The final report however leveled charges against most commissioners, including Bonino herself.
 * In November 2002, she was appointed Head of the Italian Government delegation at the Inter-governmental Conference of the Community of Democracies in Seoul.

Along with Marco Pannella, another member of the Radical Party, Bonino has fought numerous battles for civil rights, mainly concerned with divorce, the legalisation of abortion, the legalisation of drugs, and for sexual and religious freedoms. She has fought for an end to capital punishment, against female genital mutilation, and the eradication of world hunger.

In June 1999, she obtained a historic percentage of votes (8.5%) in the European elections (vs. the usual 2-3% that Radicals got in the previous and subsequent elections). Her list (Lista Bonino) won seven of 87 Italian seats in this election. The first seven on the list were:
 * Emma Bonino
 * Marco Pannella
 * Olivier Dupuis
 * Marco Cappato
 * Benedetto Della Vedova
 * Maurizio Turco
 * Gianfranco Dell'Alba

From 1999 to 2004, the Lista Bonino was non-affiliated. Since 2004, it is part of the ALDE group.

In October 2000, she was the centre of controversy regarding the massive use of spam e-mail for campaigns. She was sanctioned for this in 2001.

In December 2001, she moved to Cairo with the objective of learning the Arabic language and culture. In March 2003, she started a daily review of the Arabic press on Radical Radio.

In January 2004, she organized the "Regional Conference on Democracy, Human Rights and the role of the International Penal Court", the first for an Arabic country.

For her battles and engagements with controversial issues, her engagement in the promotion of the human rights and civil rights in the world, she received the "Open Society Prize 2004" and "Prix Femmes d'Europe 2004" for Italy.

Trivia

 * Emma Bonino is the godmother of countess Luana of Orange-Nassau, the oldest daughter of the Dutch Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau and Mabel Wisse Smit.
 * Her name was chosen by the midwife who assisted her mother's delivery