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Emma Bonino, former European Commissioner for Consumption, Fisheries and Humanitarian Aid, dies at the age of 78

He was an influential Italian politician who fought for civil rights throughout his career, such as the legalization of abortion in Italy, and he was a great pro-European.

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Mauro Scrobogna / Lapresse.21-07-2004 Strasburgo.Politica.UE - Parlamento Europeo - sessione d'apertura.nella foto: Emma Bonino,Image: 1133297274, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: * Belgium, Italy and Netherlands Rights OUT *, Model Release: no  , Credit line: Mauro Scrobogna / Zuma Press / Europa Press
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21/7/2004 ONLY FOR USE IN SPAIN
Emma Bonino in the European Parliament. Photo: Europa Press

Emma Bonino, who was European Commissioner for Consumption, Fisheries and Humanitarian Aid between 1995 and 1999, died on Friday at the age of 78 in Rome, after years of fighting cancer, was hospitalized on Sunday and died on Friday.

Bonino, an influential Italian politician, one of the most prominent figures in the defence of civil rights in Italy, a defender of the role of the European Union and founder of the political party Piu Europa, has announced his death with thanks and has declared himself "one of the clearest, most courageous and freest protagonists in the political history of Italy and the free world."

Bonino (Bra, Italy, March 9, 1948) began his political activism in the 1970s, during movements for the legalization of abortion in Italy, when he ran for election under the acronym of the Radical Party.

He was then a Member of Parliament for six legislatures in Italy, an MEP in Brussels, a Commissioner for Fisheries, Consumption and Humanitarian Aid (1995-1999), and on his return to Italy, a Minister for European Affairs and International Trade (2006-2008) and a Minister for Foreign Affairs (2013-2014) in the Social Democratic governments, continuing his political career until 2022 as a senator.

In return for his career as an entrepreneur, he received numerous awards and mentions, such as the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the French Legion of Honour, or the 1998 Prince of Asturias Prize for International Cooperation.

In 2015, he was diagnosed with a pulmonary microkitoma, a cancer he publicly faced and announced on television in 2023 that he had overcome, but last December he was hospitalized again after suffering from respiratory failure.

His work has been praised in both Italy and Brussels. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has proclaimed that for decades he was "a powerful and well-known voice of Italian politics, resolutely advancing his ideas." "Our stories and sensitivities have been far apart, but that has never prevented me from acknowledging the weight and role he has played in the public life of our nation," he said.

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said in a social media message that 'the Europe she fought for will feel its own emptiness'. 'Emma Bonino never waited for the world to be ready, she always chose to move forward, giving way to others,' she stressed in order to highlight her role as an MEP and Commissioner.

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